Check Out Our Travel Blog: Mid-Atlantic Traveler
Since I like to travel and I like to write, I thought I’d combine my two loves into a travel blog called Mid-Atlantic Traveler covering the area I know best: the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. I’ll be posting about some of my own adventures as well as interesting finds, hidden gems and plenty of things to do through our region…and beyond.
Recently we wrote about the new Frank Lloyd Wright property where you can stay overnight, the Maine Avenue Fish Market in DC, the International Water Tasting Competition (where I am a judge), the Green Bank Science Center and telescope in WV, York County PA Factory Tours and how to explore Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, to name a few. And there are many more stories to come. Continue reading →
Why a Well-Done Intake Interview is Vitally Important to Writing Copy
When working with a new client, we always perform what we call an “Intake Interview.” This interview is valuable in a number of ways.
Get the Facts
First, it provides us with the facts we need about a company’s products, services, customer service policies, history, background, target customer audience and goals.
Get the Tone
Second, it gives us the opportunity to “hear” the company owner. We listen not just for the facts but for how the owner represents the business. Does he or she speak using technical language? Are the sentences long or short? Is there humor? This helps us to write in “their voice,” not our own, and is especially helpful when writing a speech the interviewee will be delivering. Most of the time our client remarks, “It sounds just like me!”
Get the Customer
Listening also helps us to uncover problems the owner may be having in the business, or issues their customers might be having. These can and should be addressed when creating good copy. Continue reading →
All the Buzz Creates Website Copy for Advanced Family Dentistry
Dr. Sonny Kim is a Diplomat of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI), the highest education level for general dentists in this field.
All the Buzz was pleased to create the copy for the website for Advanced Family Dentistry, an existing dental practice operated by Dr. Sonny Kim in Reston, Virginia.
Dr. Kim’s dental practice had been open for many years, and required a refreshed website to reflect a more modern and professional look. A bright new design, easy navigation, and short, yet informative copy was just what he needed and wanted. Continue reading →
Value is What You Get
Price is what you pay.
Value is what you get.
I love this quote from Warren Buffett because it truly describes what sales and marketing is all about.
If your clients or customers are complaining about the price of the services or goods you are offering, they probably don’t understand the value of what they are buying. And this is where you need to beef up your marketing efforts.
We’ve all heard how we must feature the benefits of an item, not its features when selling. This concept takes that credo to a new level. People will pay — and pay handsomely — for something they value.
Within the past few months I had the opportunity to work with a start-up company in creating its brand and new website. We went round and round with the pricing for copywriting on their new site. If it weren’t for the fact that I was referred to them by someone they respected, I’m not sure they would have hired a copywriter at all. They simply didn’t see the value in good writing or the need to pay for it. But in the end, Continue reading →
All the Buzz Creates Website Copy for EverSmile Dentistry
All the Buzz was instrumental in creating the copy and blog posts on the website for EverSmile Dentistry, a new practice opened by Dr. Eddie Choi, D.D.S. in Sterling, Virginia.
Dr. Choi acquired the dental practice of the retiring Dr. Rubino of Rubino Dental, opening in the same location. However, Dr. Choi’s philosophy and areas of practice had to reflect his own practice, not that of the former owner’s.
He wanted a style that was Continue reading →
Warning: Google’s October 2017 Deadline for SSL Certificates
If your website receives text input (like eCommerce) but does not have an SSL certificate, come October 2017 Google Chrome will begin “punishing” sites by posting a red “Not Secure” warning visible to anyone seeking out your website.
This means that your website address must read “https” at the beginning of its address, rather than “http”. When secure, the “s”, along with a lock icon will appear in the header bar in your web address.
Sensitive text input such as passwords and credit card information are vulnerable on unencrypted sites, and the “Not Secure” warning is a Continue reading →
The Two Best Ways to Market Online: Guest Post
All the Buzz is pleased to offer this guest post by William Skuba, Director of Marketing at Enable, a web design firm offering affordable web design, graphic design and marketing for small businesses.
The Two Best Ways to Market Online
I hate the word “marketing.”
Whenever I use it in conversation, I immediately see the person I’m talking to lose interest. His or her eyes glaze over, he gives a canned response like “Oh cool,” and I know he isn’t listening anymore.
And I don’t blame him.
What does the word “marketing” even mean? I hardly even know what it means, and I do it for a living.
The fact of the matter is, the term “marketing” has become a vague, meaningless term from decades of overuse. You see self-styled gurus on Facebook offering reports on: “Top 7 Secrets of Marketing,” or “The Content Marketing Hacks That Made Me My First Million.” And you see YouTube ads trying to sell training courses and webinars about how you too can make millions from home simply by starting a digital marketing agency.
But none of us really even knows what they mean by marketing. Continue reading →
Google’s Rules on “Duplicate Content”
Any good web designer or web copywriter will tell you that you cannot have duplicate content on your site. They’re right–in most cases.
According to Google, “Duplicate content refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.” This means that when writing good web copy, each page should be original and blocks of copy should not be repeated within your site. Continue reading →
Washington Post Reports Writing Skills Rising on the List of Job Requirements But Failing in Candidates
The Washington Post published an article on Sunday, August 13, 2017 titled “Writing skills are rising on the list of job requirements–and falling in candidates,” by Jeffrey K. Selingo.
Selingo continues to reports hearing an interviewer from government contracting firm, looking to hire proposal writers for federal agencies, complain about “how difficult it is to find good writers these days.” Continue reading →
Why Keywords Matter for SEO
Although the rules of search engine optimization (SEO) change frequently, one thing remains constant: the need for content that is keyword-relevant.
Not 20 years ago, it was easy to get noticed with your own website. But now that there are more than 1 billion websites on the World Wide Web, it is increasingly difficult to grab your audience’s attention and get them to click on your site. Continue reading →
