Greetings from Words by a Pro! We hope everyone’s enjoying the holiday season so far.

But if you’re like most folks, you’ve already had your fill of holiday cheer thanks to the nonstop barrage of Christmas music that comes post-Thanksgiving. We’ve all heard these holiday tunes in stores—in coffee shops—running through our heads nonstop—for nearly a month now.

Enough!

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EMERGENCY! Your clients want to try inbound marketing and are coming to you for help.

What do you tell them? That you’re not a marketer?

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First published Nov. 16, 2016. Updated Feb. 9, 2018.

Imagine a world without pop-ups, junk mail or blaring commercials in between your every waking breath, calming, quiet and peaceful. Lofty as it may sound, many of us are already pretty close to that vision, as we go through extensive lengths to avoid advertisement through subscriptions and services that offer ad-free experiences. However, as a consumer, there’s going to be some point where you want information about products and services that you’re considering purchasing and, as a business owner, you may be wondering how to capture the attention of an audience that’s making an increasing effort to block you out. As it would be, there happens to be a middle ground where consumers and businesses can willfully exchange valuable information to direct purchases: inbound marketing.

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Remember back in the old days when a Yellow Pages listing and a well-placed advertisement in the newspaper were all it took to market yourself? If so, you’re definitely showing your age right now. But more importantly, if you haven’t already, forget the marketing tactics that you used in the 90s and 2000s. Marketing has changed, and if you want to adapt with it, you’re probably going to need to hop on that inbound train sooner than later. This means two things: Content marketing and SEO.

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While today’s world of content marketing isn’t as Wild West lawless as it used to be, it’s still safe to say the spectrum of options is long and varied. Whether your internal team handles your content needs (blogs, copywriting, etc.), you scour Fiverr looking for the most qualified candidate for one-off jobs, or you invest part of your budget into quality content marketing from a professional outside source, you get what you pay for.

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In an increasingly digital business landscape, failing to have an online presence can make or break a company’s monetary momentum.

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Rake up the excess on your old blog, and rake in new connections.

Ah, fall: my favorite time of year. I’m not a full-fledged drive-thru maven in yoga pants with an uncontrolled addiction to #PSLs, but I do love a touch of fall flavor. Interestingly, autumn is really a season of decay in some senses: the leaves wither and fall, the air turns colder, and warm ovens turn the harvest’s bounty into pie after pie.

Even though this season is about things falling away, it’s still impossibly joyful for many people. Perhaps it’s our collective recognition of the fact that when things wither and die, they will come back renewed after a winter of rest. Whatever it is, we can’t get enough of fall. And perhaps the world of business writing, copy, and marketing could use a touch a pumpkin spice.

Here are a few lessons we can all glean from some of fall’s most cherished pastimes and traditions. This is an excellent time of year to do a bit of “cleaning house,” just as we pack away the shorts and bring out the sweaters with October’s first chill.  

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