Small Business Services
We have a heart for small businesses. After all, we are one. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners have many tasks on their shoulders, and the priority is taking care of the customer and making money doing what it is they do best. Unfortunately, editorial services such as menu proofing, website content, customer focus groups, social media, and marketing efforts tend to get pushed to the back of the list, and that's a shame.
These seemingly small tasks are what can make or break a small business. If a customer at your high-end restaurant sees too many typos on your menu, it can adversely affect their impression of your eatery. A well-crafted press release can be the key to getting your business featured in the local magazine. A targeted customer focus group can give you insight about what you are doing right, and what you could do to improve your business. In addition, we can help your business create and develop a marketing message. Whether it is crafting copy for an effective email marketing campaign, developing text for a menu that will get mouths watering, or writing the engaging copy for your company's first website, we can help you craft the editorial presence you are looking for.
Prices range from as low as $50 to $100 for a quick proofread of your website or document to monthly contracts for ongoing work. We will tailor a package to suit your needs as a small business owner.
Let us be your editorial services agency of record
For a retainer, we can be on call for you if you need a press release written, email proofread, or other editorial services done in a hurry. Best of all, in some cases we can turn the work around within 12-24 hours.
We can also be available to provide statements or respond to inquiries from media, help you build a media kit, and interviews with company representatives. Contact us for more details or to request a quote.
Small Business Services
Note: Rates are dependent upon services needed and project scope. Please email us or call us for rates and availability. Please note that we only provide content and creation services. At this time we do not have the ability to provide printing, web hosting, or digital distribution of media.
Press Releases and Media Relations
The press release is among one of the most important, yet overlooked documents a business can produce. A poorly written press release loaded with typos can mean the difference between getting your business featured on the front page of a magazine or having another piece of paper thrown in the trash.
Our journalists know what busy reporters are looking for when they sift through a story pitch, and we can help you get their attention quickly. Also, we can help craft your press release with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keywords to help your message reach the biggest audience on the Internet.
After an initial consultation as well as brief interviews to gather information about the message you are looking to produce, we can produce a reporter-ready press release that can get you noticed.
Customer surveys and focus groups
The best way to help you figure how your business is doing is to ask those who know best. The satisfaction and demand of your customers could be the key to timing the launch of your new product line, or whether it is time to build that outdoor seating area to help drive more traffic to your restaurant. It's also the best way to get quick feedback about what customers are not happy with, and what they think you are great at.
We will sit down with you to help craft a simple survey with as many targeted questions as you'd like that can go out to your email marketing list or social media audience. If you choose to go with a focus group, we can arrange an in-person or phone group with customer volunteers to have a 30-60 minute discussion about your business.
At the end, you will receive a written breakdown and analysis of the results of your survey or focus group that will include our suggestions for how to move forward.
Newsletters/blogs/social media
A newsletter can be a great way to interact with your customers or online audience, and it can also help draw business by enabling readers to click on a link that can direct them to your business information.
Like a mini-newspaper, a newsletter can highlight the history of your business, announce news of sales, introduce your staff to customers, or describe your services. We can design a newsletter for you and provide you with a PDF that can be used to send to customers electronically or to a printer if you choose.
We can also create a blog or a social media strategy that will help highlight your business and reach a larger audience. If you choose, we can provide regular content for these great marketing avenues.
Content Marketing
Do you find yourself sending "spam" marketing emails you receive into the trash folder? Guess what? So are your prospective customers if you aren't sending out targeted emails. A whole new marketing strategy has emerged around sending relevant information to consumers, getting them to spend more time on your website and ultimately buy your products.
We can help you stand out in a sea of thousands of marketing messages sent out to consumers every day. With a well-designed marketing campaign, your customers will look forward to receiving your marketing? What if when they received it, via print, email, website, they spent 15, 30, 45 minutes with it? What if they anticipated it and shared it with their peers? That's a whole lot of potential customers for you. Learn how to use social media to market goods or services, target a certain audience, and influence buying through informative content. Consider the following:
Search engines reward businesses that publish quality, consistent content. Take advantage of that power.
Successful PR strategies address issues readers care about, not their business. Tug at the heartstrings and your customers will respond.
Research shows that good content is key to driving inbound traffic and leads.
Website Creation
If you don't yet have a website for your business, you are behind the times. Most consumer purchases are done online, and usually after they have researched many alternatives. Gone are the days of shopping around in physical storefronts; potential customers are looking for fast information and a well-built website that can show your business off.
Our editorial team and graphic artists work together to create a message and layout that can help you look your best. Add photos, staff bios, valuable information, and a way for customers to contact you and you will see your profits increase almost immediately.
We'll even show you how to get started with incredibly easy online platforms that will host your site for a low fee and allow you to make changes as you grow. Do you like our website? We created it using SquareSpace, an online hosting website, and we highly recommend it to you.
Menus and signage
Your forward-facing message to your customers is perhaps the most important thing you can do to welcome them to your business and get their attention. Did you notice the picture of John Palmer smiling at you and welcoming you on the home page of this web site? That was done on purpose, and if you've made it this far, it likely worked.
Whether you are looking for a message on your website, signage announcing a new sale, or a change in your menus that you hope will draw more diners to your restaurant, we can help you bring that message out.
Of course, we offer proofreading services for your printed and electronic media. There is nothing that will turn your customers away faster than a menu full of misspelled words (we've seen high-end Italian restaurants in Boston with the word "parmigiana" spelled wrong too many times!)