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The last thing you should do if you want to grow your business is NOT SHOW UP.
A week ago, my family was circled around the computer to meet our (likely) new babysitter.
I had been messaging this woman (she is a college grad, married, works for a pediatrician, and wants a little side work) for a week. I was super confident that she was the ONE.
Cake + writing? I mean, could it get any better? Betsy was so fun to work with - she is a visionary in the world of wedding cakes and makes the most delicious cupcakes. Helping her craft the messaging that would lead her ideal clients through her website was an absolute joy.
And as happy as cake makes me, testimonials like hers make me even happier. Here's what she had to say about working together.
"Amanda was absolutely wonderful to work with. When I decided I wanted to redo my bakery website, I had no idea where to start. Amanda was the answer!
How you ever wondered why it’s so hard to write for your business?
You live and breathe your work. It’s your passion, it’s your hobby, it’s what fills up your cup when everything else seems to be falling apart.
You know the ins and outs of it - the good parts - the bad parts - and you absolutely know who your ideal customer is and what they need.
Shouldn’t you be the PERFECT person to write the copy on your website and your marketing materials?
Writing is hard. Writing for your website is tortuous. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Earlier this week, we talked about WHY it’s hard to write website copy for your business. There are SO. MANY. REASONS. And yes, one of the ways to make writing for your website easier is to hire a copywriter (hello, hi, it’s me;) ). But you know what? You can also DIY your website copy. You can (and will) get better the more you write.
Does staring at a blank page, knowing you need to write, give you a pit in your stomach? 🙋🏻♀️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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In a poll last week, most of you said that getting started is the hardest part of writing website copy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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For some reason, we can talk endlessly about what we do and how we are changing the lives of our customers, but when it’s time to sit down and write about it, we have nothing left to say.
What words come to mind when you think about your business and how you want to present yourself to your customers? How do you want to make your customers feel?
When I started this business back in 2014, there wasn't a lot of strategy behind the visual brand. I didn't see a connection between my logo and the colors I used to how I appealed to my customers. This time around, everything is different. Working with RuthAnn at R Artspace was an enlightening experience and brought clarity to my vision.
3 years. How exactly does one reintroduce themselves after disappearing for three YEARS? I’m fairly certain there aren’t any tips or tricks on this one because it’s probably not recommended to leave in the first place. So, this may be bumpy, but let’s do it anyway! 🙌🏻
Hi, my long-lost friend! I’m Amanda Washburn - owner and writer behind Rough Draft Solutions. For the last three years, I’ve been a stay-at-home mom focused on raising my two sweet rambunctious little boys with my husband Nate. We live on four acres 30-minutes outside of Lansing, Michigan, and we thoroughly enjoy keeping life simple.
A photo may be worth a thousand words, but what happens when it’s paired with a well thought out caption? Now that’s where the magic happens.
Instagram captions can be a time-suck. You finally perfected your photo and are now staring at a white box wondering what in the world to say. You frantically head to Pinterest searching for an idea, a clever phrase, or a witty quote. Maybe you type a few words, but then immediately erase it because it’s not creative enough, cheeky, or genuine. Next thing you know, a half hour goes by, and you have to move on to the next thing on your endless to-do list without even posting a photo! Ugh.
A couple of weeks ago, the Michigan Business Rap had me on their Lunch Break radio program. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting local business professionals and sharing my insight on content marketing! The other participants couldn’t have been more welcoming and gracious.
So what is the Michigan Business Rap? According to their website, “Michigan Business Rap is a daily radio show hosted by Michael Patrick Shiels and Tony Cuthbert. Every weekday afternoon from 12-1 p.m. on The Team 92.1 FM the show is live. The hosts engage a panel of local business experts in a roundtable discussion, which is designed to break down hot topics and timely news stories from the perspective of business owners. The show opens the microphone to the business community, resulting in informative, interactive and entertaining discussions.”
Your website is the face of your company.
You may have heard that before, but it’s worth repeating. Your website is often the first place people go when they want to learn about what you do and how you can help them. And while it’s important for your website to look appealing, the words on each page will determine if it works effectively for your business or not.
The truth is, website content is often an afterthought. When building a website for your business, your first thought was probably about how you wanted it to look. Don’t get me wrong! A well-designed website is imperative, but your content is what’s going to cause people to take action.