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The Fairmount, or as locals call it ‘the Art Museum area’ neighborhood melds tree-lined streets with urban living and a vibrant creative energy. Just steps from the Rodin Museum, the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Barnes, culture and famous attractions are a stroll away. If you want to live in the city but not its downtown core, this may be the perfect place to reside.
Read the full article for my client, Homes.com here
For the millennial business administration student, an MBA coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit may be enough to think about relocation. Each year, grads and young professionals tidy up their LinkedIn profiles, and with resume in hand, look for new lands of opportunity. But millennials are choosy, tech-savvy, and night-life smart. They want a thriving local scene where they can parlay their skills into a balanced life of work and play.
Read the full article, for client Homes.com here
Whether you are moving to a new neighborhood in the same city or packing up for a non-local move, relocation can be downright stressful. You’ll need to manage the emotions and tasks in tandem with carving out new routines. Instead of getting frantic, use these life tips and resources to handle relocation like a pro, or at least with a spirit of adventure.
Read the full article for my client Homes.com here
In an ideal scenario, the perfect house shows up when you are ready and have the cash flow to cover the down payment, closing costs, and first month’s mortgage. However, this isn’t always the case. If crunching the closing cost numbers is beyond stressful, rather than missing the opportunity to buy now, you might see if a lender credit could make it happen.
Check out the full post for client, homes.com here
When you sign an apartment lease on the dotted line, you are probably excited and think nothing of complying with the terms of the contract. That said, one of the most commonly broken lease rules is an early termination of the lease.
Check out the full article for my client, Homes.com here.
Are you a Generation Xer? Read my article for Homes.com entitled Magnet States for Generation Xers
“If you are roughly between 35 and 49 years old, there are reasons your age group is on the move. Chances are you have a lot on your plate and want to live somewhere that addresses your needs. Not the outdated ones that said you were cynical, MTV-loving, latchkey kids. No, the new you. The generation that is entrepreneurial, driven to lead, and enthusiastic about work-life balance – AKA Generation X.”
Much heart went into writing this piece on Olde Kensington, Philly for Homes.com. Read a synopsis below, then check out the full article here.
“If you are looking for that start-up vibe, Olde Kensington is one of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods that is slowly getting a facelift. Tucked away between Northern Liberties (north) and Fishtown (west), this distinct section of Kensington is going from warehouse to coffee house and condo. With other kinds of redevelopment in the works, this area of the city is one to watch or give more thoughtful consideration for a next move.”
I consider writing to be a sales tool
I believe that any good salesperson has to identify two things:
I know people think of writing as a creative project, but writing as a sales tool? It is different. Speaking from my own experience, when I write poems and stories, or even personal blog posts, I don’t have an audience in mind. It’s all about self expression. Although I care to do this as eloquently as possible.
With respect to both audience and product, these are both key components of marketing. To pay attention to who is searching, what they seek, and what stage of their buyer’s journey they are in, could encourage purposeful writing. Whether your product is information or a tangible item, using these basics in your writing is like cooking a meal. They are ingredients. From this recipe, you then try to balance positive user experience and technical know how.
As a business writer, my goal is to write relatable and optimized content, with a view towards engaging the reader, and basic bottom line business growth. As a blogger and creative artist, I value an authentic voice. Otherwise, I am a skilled researcher and believe we need to back up what we say in words with a frame of reference. In fact, google is favoring semantics. Bull shit is out, information is in. Clients want to go where their questions can be answered.
I can say a lot in a few words, which is a skill necessary to rock the writing for social platforms. This ability translates into either a longer or shorter word count, depending on a client’s goals.
For instance, the potential to ‘click to tweet’ is valuable these days. I feel many businesses pay for too many words that do not provide the information a potential reader or client is looking for.
I have an extensive portfolio of online blogging, and creative content for websites. Both include key word research, full on-page optimization, knowledge of SEO and social media where the client want this. Consequently, I can take the text and make it accessible to your social platforms with a unique and clever mindset.
Content managers hire me to help mentor, train and focus individual staff and freelance writers. As such, I have helped drive traffic to websites through my own writing and through these training sessions with clients.
Finally, my style is versatile and driven by a professional enjoyment of the written word. You can check out some recent posts on Homes.com.
City of Brotherly Love and the Philadelphia Row
Small Kitchens: The New Kitchen on the Block
I am really happy with a new piece I wrote, but think the chapeau goes off to the editor (and web design). A few tweeks were made with her keen eye. I know she would say she couldn’t have done it without the research and writing I did. But still. I like to play on a supportive team.
As I have also worn the editor hat, I can tell you, it can be very frustrating. Sometimes, I would rather just tear it all up and start over. Especially when I just can’t get inside the other writer’s head, or edit and still keep the flavor of their voice. But if budget constraints are tighter than the feeling in my neck, I keep at it. Sometimes, when you are editing, you might prefer to rebuild but can only remodel.
Onwards.
A copy editor is a planner, reviewer, and reviser of content for publication. Someone who has a grasp of punctuation and won’t let a sentence r…u…n…..on….f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Their goal is to improve readability. ¹
For sure, some editors need and want to put their stamp on all content that passes their desk. And, if it serves the bigger picture (brand, strategy, overall tone, clarity etc.), cool. For me, I think editors are both respectful and the last word. I mean, if you hire the writer for his or her specific tone, you should strive to maintain it, enhance it, or head to HR. Ultimately, I think a good editor is a great silent partner, a good writer, teacher, clarifier and teammate. Someone who collaborates with authors to help their ideas and stories succeed.
[1] bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/editors.htm
I am very proud of my clients at Heads and Tails for realizing they need not only more, but better, content on their website. I hear you thinking, “it’s a lovely image” and “what’s wrong with that”? Yes, it is a lovely stylized photo and there is nothing amiss with a menu of services.
Photos and images should be part of a purposeful content strategy.
Many of us are visual. We like to see what a place looks like before we eat there. And, we can certainly read text such as the above menu. However, and this is a big BUT, if images are all you have, your site is not being well optimized. Google spiders like to read text. How can google tell by this image that this is a local beauty business in Philadelphia? It can’t. #notgoodforbusiness
Press releases are another type of image that can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you want everyone to see that you made it to the cover of xyz. The only problem is that the image itself doesn’t inform the search engines the same way that a blog post would. So, yes, it’s great you got mentioned, but how many people know about it? Let’s improve those numbers. Here we went from a series of photos to a list of recent posts.
Images plus text are better for search and also for the searcher. Text is a multi-tasker. Here is what I mean. Text is read by humans and search spiders. So, a simple solution to the above menu problem is to convert it to a written menu instead of a static image. Which I did. It is a purposeful and easy to execute content strategy.
Finally, text can be a timesaver. It allows you to elaborate. What do I mean? I will leave you with that thought. Let me know when you are ready to take your content to the next level.
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