Hey <<Name>>
Fancy a little jaunt to the seaside next month? 🏖
On 12 April I’ll be speaking at the brilliant Brighton SEO - Europe’s largest search marketing conference with over 80 talks, 4,000 attendees, and (rumour has it) one heck of an after-party. And since I've got two free tickets to give away, you could be coming with me!
If you think your business could benefit from a bit of digital marketing skill-sharpening just email me on beth@bethanyjoy.org by Wed 13 March and I’ll pop your name in the proverbial hat - then I’ll be in touch with the lucky ticket winners ASAP.
See you for fish and chips on the pier!
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This month’s learning comes courtesy of a rail company’s email marketing:
‘Bored and feeling like you need to bounce? With return tickets to London from as little as £9.99 it’s never been simpler to grab your BFF and head for the bright lights of the big city. And with a travel time of less than an hour you can shop ‘til closing time and still be home in time to meet your bae for some netflix and chill. #StartLivingYourBestLife’
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Sent to 18-25 railcard holders, the email is offering a pretty good deal. But every person I’ve shown it to in that age group has cringed, saying it would actually put them off using the train! Let’s pick apart why that is…
- The language is too try-hard - one or two idioms could offer a nod to the slang of the target group, but this is seriously over-stuffed, and some of the phrases aren’t even used in the right way! The attempt to mimic millennials only ends up making the rail company’s writing team look painfully out of touch - it's the dad dancing of copy.
- There’s a major lack of clarity - ‘bright lights’ makes you think of night time, but they seem to be suggesting a day trip; they boast of low prices making things ‘simpler’, when saying cheaper or easier would make more sense; and ‘closing time’ is usually a colloquial reference to the shutting of a pub, not a shop. These mismatched phrases make the messaging feel confused and chaotic.
- The repetition in the final sentence is just clumsy - ‘time’ is used in three places, interfering with the rhythm of the sentence and giving the ending a clunky, awkward feel.
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Ok so this word isn’t actually in common usage at the moment… but I say let’s team up and bring it back! According to a Tudor dictionary published in 1552, a clatterfart is someone who ‘wyl disclose anye light secreate’ - in other words, it’s a super fun way to describe a gossip or blabbermouth. Love it.
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Workshop: How to find your brand voice
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Oxford – 28 March 2019, 9.30am-1.30pm
The way you talk to your customers or clients can be the deciding factor for whether or not people buy into what you’re selling. So join me for a hands-on workshop on brand voice which will equip you with a simple but unique writing style for your business, as well as some practical guidelines to help you consistently bring that voice to life.
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Seminar: How to find your brand voice
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Coventry – 4 April 2019, 6.30-8pm
When you pay more attention to the content of your marketing than the language you use to share it, chances are high that the way your business sounds is at odds with how you’d like to come across. Want to fix that? Join me as I unpack what on earth this ‘brand voice’ stuff is all about and give you practical tips on how to go about getting one.
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Amplify: the website
The happiest, most engaging, and most encouraging presentation coaches I know (honestly, I defy you not to be a more confident and inspired public speaker after a session with them!) hadn’t quite nailed transferring their awesomeness from the stage to the page. So I worked with them to rewrite all their website copy, making sure it not only gave a more accurate picture of what they do but also better showcased their unique coaching style.
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Herd: the website
This team of talented designers and website builders may be small but they serve up stunning work that packs a punch - so they needed their own website to do the same. In particular they wanted the copy to reflect their energy, creativity, and ultra-personable style. So together we developed an upbeat and slightly quirky voice, and I created copy that would position them as relatable yet reliably brilliant.
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We’ve all got a few cringeworthy family photos from back in the day - so make yourself feel better by having a giggle at these 29 family portraits that are definitely worse than anything your mum made you pose for…
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“Beth was excellent at leading our team through a variety of [brand voice] workshop exercises - her recommendations were clear, insightful, and practical, and cut through all the unnecessary terminology, so we can 'get got'!”
Zoe Davies
Marketing Manager at the British Veterinary Association
*Just to be clear, this is a figure of speech. My clients aren’t horses. They’re people.
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Want to be gettable and irresistible?
Just shoot me a message at beth@bethanyjoy.org
and we’ll chat about how I can help.
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