Small Business Design Resources

The Differences Between a Proofreader and a Copywriter: Who to Hire and When

Many people do not know the difference between a proofreader and a copywriter. It’s no surprise, because their roles in writing are similar and easy to confuse. If your small business needs assistance with writing in any form, whether it be blogging, newsletters, eBooks and so on, it’s best to know which of the two you should contact. Though similar, they both offer very different skills.

A Copywriter is someone you contact during the early stages of your writing project. Their goals are to help you create. If you were writing an eBook or even a novel, they would help you make it publishable. A copywriter would offer creative advice to help you make the best finished product. Think of them as a mentor to lead you towards your goal of a great piece of writing. If you want to incorporate pictures or other visuals into your writing, a copywriter would be able to tell you the best places to put them, as well as help you choose which pictures would look best. They can also be helpful in telling you what content is best left out of a blog, book, newsletter and so on.  You can work with a copywriter, together creating the finished product you’re looking for or you can opt to let them work their magic and create the entire piece for you.

A Proofreader provides the finishing touches to your writing. Their only intentions are to make the product free of spelling and grammatical errors. They have no interest in the style or the flow. So if you need help in the actual creation process, a proofer is not going to be choice for you. They are very important in the world of words, but the skills needed are less than a copywriter, so it is usually considerably cheaper to hire a proofreader.

Does your website’s blog need the creative touch of a copywriter? Does your eNewsletter require a second set of eyes to proof it before sending it to your clients? Outsourcing to experts is a great way to improve your small business design and achieve positive results with your website writings. It’s okay to be too busy with your business to worry about the finishing touches of your blog, let someone else handle the dirty work for you!

The Wrong Website Can Kill Your Business

First impressions are important – I’m sure you’ll agree. And your website is the first impression that people get about your business. The wrong website design can essentially kill your business by driving your web visitors away, causing them to immediately bounce back and go directly to your competition.

Better make a good first impression! But how? Here are a few small business website design tips.

1. Avoid clutter. A cluttered website is confusing to users, who don’t know where to click or what to do and so they tend to click away. This could be good if your goal is to make money from ads on your site, because the path out of a site is often through clicking on an ad, but if your goal is to encourage your visitors to stay and browse, aim for a clean, simple design and make it easy for your visitors to navigate your site.

2. What is your website about? What do you offer? If a visitor can’t answer this question immediately, they will click away. Ask friends and family members to take an objective look at your website and to tell you if they can tell right away what it’s about.

3. Make it fast. A slow-loading website is painful for users. It’s one of the main reasons users give up on a site. Make sure your website doesn’t contain heavy elements that would slow it down, and use a third-party tool to test load time for your site. The fact that it loads fast for you doesn’t necessarily reflect other users’ experience.

4. Content IS king. Yes, this old cliché is true. Your website content needs to offer value to readers. It needs to be well written, free of typos and engaging. Even if your site loads fast and is clean and professional looking, users WILL bounce off if they discover that your content does not offer them any value.

5. Avoid anything that could be annoying or distracting to users, including flash, auto-loading sound or blinking text. Even if you’re trying to make people click on ads, remember that being assaulted by blinking, moving, loud ads will most likely cause people to close the page rather than click on those annoying ads. Ads actually work best if they blend into your content and offer value to your readers, just like your main content does.

6. Minimize clicking. Make navigating your site and getting to the important pages easy. If people have to click through 6 pages to get to what they were looking for, they will likely just abandon your site.

7. Make it readable. Even if your text is great, people won’t read it unless it’s easy to read. Make sure your font is large enough, web-friendly, and space your lines. It’s also important to keep your lines short and to avoid using dark text on a dark background, or light text on a light background.

8. Link correctly: include internal links whenever they’re relevant, so visitors can discover more parts of your site. Make sure internal links, unlike external links, open in the same browser window – users will resent having several browser windows open, all of them from your site. When you link to other sites, do make sure they open in a new window.

If you’re not sure how user friendly your site is, it’s always a good idea to ask friends and family members to take a look and give you an honest feedback. If you’re planning, or hoping to earn money from your site, using the services of a professional web designer is one of the most important investments you will ever make in your business.

Bloggers for Hire: When to Let Others do the Writing for You

When you add a blog to your website, you’re not just giving people additional information. A well-made blog increases your search engine potential. Sometimes, business owners may not feel they have the time or the skills to create and maintain a blog for their company. That’s perfectly acceptable, as there are plenty of writers out there who are more than happy to help you.

You can always find a willing writer over the internet to help you out. There are several reputable websites available that can help put you in touch with a writer that has blogging experience. Try websites like iFreelance.com or eLance.com. You can work with these people through the writing website or just hire them direct. If you’re worried about the financial aspect of hiring a writer, know that blogging is usually a reasonably-priced task. The more years experience the writer has, the more you will likely pay per blog. You can usually get away with writer that has only a year or two of experience though, as blogging is a pretty straight forward assignment.

When you hire out for your blogging needs, make sure you make your content wishes known. You can place the blog on the website yourself after you’ve proofed it, or you can request that the writer posts the blogs for you. It all depends on your comfort level for giving a writer your password to access the website. Give your writer a list of keywords and topics to write about. That way, they’ll include a few of those keywords in each blog and even do some linking for Search Engine Optimization. If you’re unfamiliar with that terminology, it would be a great idea to hire a writer with SEO experience to help walk you through making your blog more than just an informative article.

There is no shame in feeling unable to maintain a blog. If your small business design doesn’t include a blog, consider starting one. Blogs are one of the easiest things you can apply to your website to increase your web traffic. Hire a freelance writer who has blogging experience to help you with this extra effort to maximize your website’s appeal.

Small Business Profile: Rita White, Raw Ingredients

(917) 239-3678	ritasemail@verizon.net			Raw Ingredients

Tell us your story of why and how you decided to start your own business.
Raw Ingredients natural skincare was created in 2009. I suffer from eczema and found that over the counter products didn’t work on my skin. I couldn’t find products for sensitive skin with fragrances that I liked. I conceptualize the products, scents and packaging. I create the products in my kitchen at home. If a customer wants the product unscented or wants a fragrance created exclusively for them, I can do that as well. My passion for natural products comes from experience as a former beauty advisor for major skincare and cosmetic lines such as Kiehl’s and Borghese. I’m also a skincare writer for examiner.com

How would your customers describe your business?
Here’s what our customers are saying about Raw Ingredients skincare products:

“I just finished using one of your scrubs! It was a sugar scrub with red seeds. End result: soft hands!”-Kisha K.

“Fabulous Rita, BTW, your “body butter” was the empty container at the end of the night,… u have something special…”- Letitia O.

“It’s yummy”-Rosemary J. –after using our Sexy coconut Body Butter.

“Thanks I received the order, It smells like you can eat it…but I won’t…lol”-Aaron R

What’s unique about your business, how do you differ from your competitors?
Customers have the opportunity to buy products that are made-to- order. Products can be custom formulated according to their specifications or skin concerns.

What’s your most popular product?
Our body butters are the most popular product. The body butters are 98% natural. They contain aloe vera and chamomile flower extract, to soothe and calm sensitive skin in addition to jojoba and sunflower oil which nourish, hydrate, soften & heal.

How do you market your business?
Raw Ingredients skincare products are marketed in several ways. I have a company website, facebook and twitter sites. Many customers buy products through word-of-mouth or at craft shows that I participate in, such as Shecky’s Girls Night Out or Green Flea NYC. I carry business cards and a few testers with me at all times, so potential customers can sample the body cream.

What role does your website play in your business?
The website plays an important role in my business, it’s an online store where people have access to my products at any time. It highlights the company’s credibility and customers can email comments and questions.

What would you say to small businesses who currently don’t have a website or have neglected it?
I would tell small businesses that currently don’t have a website or have neglected it that a website is a must. More potential customers are within your reach. It’s a great way to track customer feedback, testimonials and product inventory. You can provide general information and website links about other topics that may interest customers too. A website is very convenient for clients especially if they can find everything they need in one place.

Anything additional you want to tell us about your business that we don’t know yet?
Raw Ingredients donates to charitable organizations, such as Light the Night, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s event to raise funds against cancer. The company is located in Bronx, New York.

Are You LinkedIn?

Are you familiar with the popular networking site LinkedIn? It’s a networking site, similar to others like Facebook, but this one is geared towards business professionals. 75 million people around the globe are currently registered with the site. Business professionals from all over not only gather on the website to network, they also search for new careers. You can make LinkedIn a powerful tool to help you generate business for yourself.

An attribute about LinkedIn that could benefit a small business would be the referral feature. Clients who enjoyed your services or product can visit your LinkedIn page and leave positive feedback for other potential clients to see. If you have a blog, let your connections on LinkedIn know about it by importing it to your page. You can update your status just as you can on Twitter, so try widgets that allow you to add things to your profile, like your Twitter stream for instance. Cross-combine your social media for maximum results. Use LinkedIn to post information you may already have on Facebook or Twitter and so on.

Your small business design should not stop with just a website. Boost it further by taking advantage of the social networking websites that exist. On LinkedIn, you can connect with people like you as well as people who like what you do. Join groups dedicated to your type of business. Post insightful articles and answer questions on other users’ feeds. You’ll add a personal touch when you respond to potential clients’ questions, plus it helps you by adding a bit of self-promotion for the other eyes that cross it. With LinkedIn, it’s important to make sure you’re keeping up with the site. Updating at least once a week is going to keep your name visible in the feeds of your connections. However, it doesn’t have to be fresh material. As mentioned before, if your website has a blog, make sure you’re posting the blog on LinkedIn as well, to increase traffic.

Depending on what it is your small business has to offer, you can also use LinkedIn to research possible vendors or even employees. It just helps you gain more understanding of their businesses, plus you get to check their credibility, as they might for you. If you’re not already using LinkedIn, consider the benefits it can add to your small business design. You can network with other users and potentially reach a wider audience with your product. Make a profile and be sure to update often. Use a professional picture of either yourself or your company logo. Also, be sure to have any LinkedIn messages forwarded to your e-mail inbox as well. That way, if someone does contact you about your services, you’ll be that much faster to respond.