Let me start by saying that if you are one of the lucky few that is completely happy with the copywriting talent within your business, firstly HUGE congratulations and hang on to them with both hands (maybe not literally!), and secondly, this post probably isn’t for you.
However, if you are one of the many businesses that aren’t completely happy with ALL of the copy written for your business, read on!
Copywriting for your business – in-house vs outsourcing
Coming up with the words for your marketing can happen in a few different ways. Some people prefer to maintain full control by using existing employees to write their company’s copy for them, or sometimes in smaller businesses, by doing the writing themselves. With the advent of AI, this option may on the surface seem more appealing than ever.
With the support of AI or without it, however, coming up with the right things to say about your own business is a very difficult thing to do. Even professional copywriters find that hard. And even if you know exactly what you want to say, are you sure it’s what your audience wants to hear, or is it what you think your audience wants to hear?
The other option for producing copy for your business is to outsource to an external copywriter and here is why that might be your best option.
5 Reasons to hire a copywriter
Find your copywriter match
Despite there being so many benefits to hiring a copywriter, they only apply if you find the right person for your business. It is worth doing your research and paying your due diligence by asking to see endorsements and reviewing their previous work or their own blog, to see if you think they will be a fit. Not all copywriters are the same, but when you find a relationship that works, you can reap all of the above benefits and more from hiring a copywriter.
If you’re ready to go to the next step, you might find my previous blog posts, FAQs about outsourcing copywriting, and how to prepare for hiring a copywriter for your business blog, useful.
In today’s digital age, a compelling online presence is vital for businesses to thrive. Your website is often the first interaction potential customers have with your brand, and first impressions matter. When it comes to web design, choosing the right partner can make all the difference. eckhoMedia stands out as a premier choice for several reasons.
Choosing the right web design partner is crucial for your business’s online success. With our extensive expertise, commitment to customized solutions, and focus on user experience, eckhoMedia is the ideal choice for businesses looking to elevate their digital presence. From comprehensive services to competitive pricing and ongoing support, eckhoMedia is dedicated to helping you achieve your web design goals. Don’t settle for ordinary, choose eckhoMedia and transform your digital presence today. Get in contact with us today to start the discussion.
Read the full article at https://www.eckhomedia.com/why-choose-eckhomedia-for-your-web-design-project/
When it comes to marketing copywriting for a business, the most obvious starting point is talking about the features and benefits of the company’s product or service. If you’re lucky, the business will have a lot of benefits so you can find a lot to say, but when you’ve ticked off every single one, what do you do? Start from the beginning again? While repetition is a good thing, there are ways to repeat yourself that work well, and other ways that are quite frankly, boring. Finding new angles to talk about your features and benefits is a great way to keep the copywriting pipeline full and interesting!
What is an angle in marketing copy?
If you’re not sure what I mean when I talk about finding new angles, I mean finding new ways to introduce the same message. Probably the easiest way to explain this is to give you an example.
Let’s say your company sells furniture. You have talked about all the different types of furniture you sell, why the items are of such good quality and value for money, but then what? One new angle you might consider is to quote the latest home interior trends to hit the market. Or you could talk about the latest report or newest statistics on how people’s posture is affected by the furniture they use and highlight relevant products in your range that might offer a solution. Or perhaps, if you have a sustainable range, you could talk about the latest government targets, or the most up to date statistics on recycling furniture – and use that to introduce your solution.
How many angles can there be?
You’d be forgiven for thinking that you will run out of angles as quickly as you will run out of features and benefits. But the beauty of angles is that they change all the time. There are new reports and statistics being released regularly. There are national and industry news reports about different sectors every day, and the socio-economic context we’re all operating in is changing all the time.
Finding the best angle for your copy
So how do you come up with angles and keep them fresh and interesting for your audience? Here are a few prompts to give you some ideas.
Still struggling to find new copywriting angles consistently?
Hopefully this quick guide will give you some inspiration when it comes to finding new ways to talk about the good things that you do. However, if you’re still struggling to find the time and effort needed to consistently research and create new angles, it might be worth talking to a freelance copywriter. I have written for some of my customers for years and still consistently come up with new angles and new ways of getting their messages across, so they don’t have to.
If you would like some support with your business blogs, feature articles, press releases, or content for your company LinkedIn page, feel free to drop me an e-mail at [email protected] to book in an exploratory call, or receive my price list.
As a devoted son of radio, first lured to podcasting by the similarities, I’ve come to love spotting the differences.
The Podcast Show, last week, was a rare chance to do that on an industry-wide scale and I was among many from Bristol and the South West who flocked. This was the UK’s biggest coming together of what can sometimes feel like quite a fragmented fraternity, at least for the independent creator. The hours spent in my home studio writing, recording and editing are among the happiest of my freelance endeavours, but they are also quite isolating.
The people of podcasting have much in common with radio types, not least as so many straddle both worlds, yet the vibe en-masse is strangely different. The great Terry Wogan once described radio as “the home of the introverted egomaniac” and I relate to that entirely from my time in the industry. We’re the people you’ll always find in the kitchen at parties, quietly watching, tweeting and probably adding you on LinkedIn without making eye contact. Yet The Podcast Show was deafeningly loud at all times, people with much to say to each other. The atmosphere was strikingly friendly, welcoming and explosively sociable, perhaps in defiance of all the time we spend alone. For relative newbies like me at least, there was a sense of shared demystification, of everyone helping each other to make best sense of this wonderful craft that has landed from outer audio space…
Actually, as Bristol’s podcasters will know, so much is already understood. The podcast world is a canny fusion of marketing, PR and audio. Consequently, the industry is relentlessly driven by intelligent market research and targeted strategy, strikingly more so than the public service broadcast world I’ve inhabited for 20 years. This manifests itself as an absolute obsession with audiences, and rightly so: “Who we can serve, why and how…”, rather than “What we’d like to do…”. If you and I have ever worked together, or if we’ve had a coaching workshop together in recent months, you’ll understand why this makes me sing.
I lapped up the session ‘From Grey to Gold’ with Andy Goldsmith (from Adelicious) and Kat Farmer (from #gotthepodcast), which explained why canny podcasters should consider the over 55s. It has baffled me and angered many besides to see this growing audience abandoned by public service broadcasters, who really should be ramping up their commitment to an ageing population. We heard in the session that, not only is the older market growing in size, the over 55s hold 70% of the UK’s wealth; so it is perhaps even more perplexing that so few have seen the commercial potential of engaging them through audio. Known in the marketing world as “the blind spot”, this audience is targeted by only 3% of advertising briefs, typically health-related products, care homes and funeral plans. How crass! Among the marketing orgs represented by the speakers, 90% of briefs are targeted at 18-44 year olds, a decade adrift from those who will be spending 63p in every pound over the next ten years.
The reason cited for the vacuum (and I believe this to be true in radio, too) is that older people are not seen by the industry as a sexy audience to serve. Kat Farmer described an “echo chamber of young people in marketing talking to themselves…” and “…everyone imagining that anyone over 55 is like their nan”. We urgently need to get beyond that. I recently launched The Bus Inspectors podcast which is already thriving with older audiences. It takes a really niche subject to the mainstream – a grading scheme for the UK’s transport museums – and hopefully brings it to life with human interest stories that will light up those with curiosity. And, as I know from my work in BBC radio over the years, the over 55s are endlessly curious.
Having chosen to make The Bus Inspectors as a narrative podcast – that is, a crafted documentary rather than ‘chat show’ style – it was with some trepidation that I attended Miranda Sawyer’s session ‘Is Narrative Podcasting Dead?’. I have such respect for Miranda that, had the answer been ‘Yes, it’s dead’, I probably would think long and hard about my future. Fortunately, it was a complex but conclusive ‘No, it’s thriving… but it’s an art form… and narratives are more expensive to make… so you have to work much harder to pitch them’. This totally chimes. For many brands simply wanting ‘a podcast’, a freestyle chat is much quicker and cheaper to produce, so it’s no wonder narrative podcasts remain the exception. It’s also no wonder they really stand out and have a lasting value beyond most.
Other stand out messages came from Harry Morton, the Somerset-based CEO and founder of Lower Street Media, who talked about the importance of understanding, as a starting point, how your podcast fits into a wider landscape and ecosystem; and Fiona Fraser ‘The Podcast Expert’ whose simple message will actually be a profound revelation to many: “Your podcast is not for everyone”.
This is an industry which truly respects its audiences and is ever thoughtful about who will listen and how to reach them. No wonder it’s thriving.
JMP Partners with Wesport to encourage Women and Girls to get active through extension of ‘Bristol Girls Can’ Campaign
JMP, a Bristol-based creative content and campaigns agency, is thrilled to announce its partnership with Wesport to drive the inspiring ‘Bristol Girls Can‘ campaign forward into 2024 and 2025. This collaboration marks a new milestone in empowering women and girls across Bristol to embrace physical activity and lead healthier lifestyles.
‘Bristol Girls Can’, is the local activation of the widely acclaimed Sport England ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, has been successfully run for the past nine years under the stewardship of Bristol City Council. Now, Wesport, the Active Partnership for the West of England, takes the reins to continue the impactful work of encouraging movement, fostering confidence, and building community among women and girls in the region.
JMP’s responsibilities include campaign development, messaging, content creation, social media engagement, and website management.
The ‘This Girl Can’ campaign seeks to tell the real stories of women and girls who get active or play sport in the way that’s right for them, for all shapes, sizes and abilities. This campaign is aimed to create a supportive and inclusive environment where women and girls feel encouraged, empowered, and celebrated for their participation in physical activities.
“We believe in the power of community and collective action to drive positive change,” said Steve Nelson, CEO of Wesport. “Together with our key partners, we are committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity, fun, and empowerment that inspires women and girls across Bristol to lead active, healthy lives.”
Managing Partner at JMP, Matthew Joy, also added: “We are incredibly excited to partner with Wesport on the ‘Bristol Girls Can’ campaign. This initiative is not just about promoting physical activity; it’s about creating a sense of community across the Bristol area for women and girls and to inspire positive change and one we are excited to play a part in with other key local partners”.
The partnership invites community members to join the conversation, share their stories, and contribute to the campaign’s ongoing success.
Individuals are encouraged to reach out via email at [email protected] to share their experiences, and insights around the local challenges that women and girls face in accessing movement and physical activity, as well as those that are already active to share what works for you and what got you started.
As part of the campaign there will be a newly formed professional network community with an initial event being held on the 26th June. This network will be created to bring together organisations from across the city, all with a common goal of inspiring women and girls to get active across Bristol.
About JMP:
JMP is a Bristol-based creative content and campaigns agency dedicated to creating impactful storytelling and engaging content for brands and organisations. With a passion for creativity and innovation, JMP partners with clients to deliver compelling campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive measurable results.
About Wesport:
Wesport is the Active Partnership for the West of England, serving the communities of BANES, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire. As a sports charity, Wesport is committed to promoting physical activity, fostering inclusivity, and improving the health and well-being of individuals across the region.
For more information about the Bristol Girls Can campaign and upcoming initiatives, follow on social media and visit the website.
Web: bristolgirlscan.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/bristolgirlscan
For any inquiries, please contact [email protected]
At a Bristol Creative Industries keynote event in March, we were joined by Drew Benvie, founder of global social media agency Battenhall. He shared insights from the company’s 11th annual social media trends reports. In this post, Dan Martin summarises Drew’s brilliant talk.
When it comes to social media, Drew knows his stuff. At the age of seven, he taught himself how to code on an Amstrad CPC 464, and in 2006 he was the first to coin the term ‘social media’ on Wikipedia. Drew founded Battenhall in 2013 and now employs 120 people in the UK and overseas.
Opening his talk, he said:
“There are more places than ever to commit your time and your advertising money, so it’s important you know where to invest. You could stick to a few but the average person in the UK is active on six social networks. In India, it’s 10. If you’re trying to reach your target audience, you have to do more than ever before to really stand out.”
Social media is ubiquitous. Eight out of 10 people who use social media do so actively. Brits spend 75% of our working day looking at a screen of some sort, with teens spending around 5.3 hours a day on social.
But over the last year, Drew said, various things have happened, such as “the implosion of Twitter” following Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform, “that has made me feel that safety on social media is an important thing”.
“Social media is now toxic to many, whether it’s the stuff that we see that should be taken down, or the actions from one user to another that are allowed unfettered on social media.”
A million posts are removed by Meta every day, Drew said, while TikTok employs 40,000 people to moderate content.
Amid all this, social media owners are appearing in front of regulators around the world, as governments look to bring in new legislation that regulates social media.
So what does this mean for brands? Drew’s advice is:
“AI (artificial intelligence) is one of the most unstoppable forces,” Drew said.
See below for what ChatGPT created when he asked it to show a vision of Bristol in the future!
AI in action from @drewb in @Bristol_CI keynote.
“ChatGPT, show me a vision of Bristol in the future.”@brunelsbridge still going strong! @battenhall #Bristol #Battenhalltrends pic.twitter.com/r6E000jO4X
— Dan Martin (@Dan_Martin) March 12, 2024
AI helps to speed up creativity”, and you should think of it as “your brainstorm buddy”, Drew advised.
You can already use AI features on social media platforms to create or improve content, but Drew said “there is an important balance between making something authentic because it is created by a human and harnessing the power of AI to speed things up when you need to”.
He continued:
“I’m an advocate of using AI to augment what you do, not replace it. Get it to do the stuff that you shouldn’t really spend time doing.”
Drew said consider AI as your “brainstorm buddy”. He recommended experimenting with AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and see which work best for you. Remember that AI isn’t just for generating content, you can also use it for tasks like analysing data.
As an example of AI in action with creative content, Drew shared a campaign using AI that Battenhall delivered for a client.
The children of employees at General Electric were asked to draw what they thought their parents did for a job. Battenhall then used AI to create images based on the drawings that were used for social media posts.
On LinkedIn, the content delivered the top-performing post for the whole quarter, more than doubling the benchmark engagement rate for the quarter. In addition, the campaign contributed to a 12% increase in the number of new followers (month on month).
Drew warned that brands should also be aware of the ethical, regulatory and legal issues around AI such as who owns the content you produce using the technology.
The fallout from Elon Musk buying Twitter led to an exodus of users signing up for other social media platforms. Many people switched to Mastodon, the open source social network, and Meta launched Threads, an app linked to Instagram which became the fastest to reach 100 million followers.
“There are 35 social networks with over 100 million active users [see some of them on page 7 of the ‘Life after Twitter’ report] and endless niche communities. That is my biggest learning from what has happened to Twitter. Niche is now good. It’s ok to be small.”
The biggest beneficiary of “the carnage at Twitter”, Drew said, is LinkedIn. It reported a 41% increase in volume of content between 2021 and 2023.
Drew’s tips and insights for LinkedIn are:
But the most important tip for choosing where to engage on social media, is pay attention to your audience and where they hang out. There’s no one size fits all.
“Be really analytical. Figure out what your audience does, where they spend their time, what trends they follow.”
“TikTok calls itself an entertainment platform, not a social network, and it’s a places other social media platform are trying to emulate.”
Drew said TikTok has shown to brands the power of being entertaining. “I think every brand in 2024 has the ability to be more entertaining.”
“Any brand can do anything on social media. People expect a brand to be a person, to have a voice. The unhinged, entertaining and educational stream of content coming through on platforms like TikTok is creating opportunities for even the most boring brands to be entertaining, informative and educational.”
Drew said the three ways brands can be entertaining are:
One example of an entertaining brand that is “completely unhinged” is Duolingo on TikTok. “My kids want to spend their pocket money on learning languages on Duolingo beause the owl is so engaging.”
For an example of good educational content, Drew recommended Channel 4 on Threads.
“What makes social media content work is engagement, sentiment uptick, and visibility for people that are hard to reach. Entertaining content achieves on all those fronts.
“Think about how you can tell stories and answer questions. People want to learn new things. Think about the niches users might want to know about that are linked to your brand. Even with something a bit more corporate, there’s a story to tell and an audience looking for answers. Consider various different channels to reach your target audience.
“To create content that’s right for you, think about your brand personality. Place yourself in your audience’s shoes, and don’t be afraid to either stay in your lane and do one thing well, or branch out and try lots of different things. Social media is all about experimenting. Post things. Delete them. Start a channel. Let it go. That’s all fine.”
Drew said that the fatigue that many people have with influencers and the creation of content about something they are paid to say is good has helped bring about a creator culture:
“There are more people creating more things with more creativity on more platforms more often. Creators provide opportunities for any brand because your niche is out there somewhere.
“A creator’s goal is to produce high quality, authentic content. For that, they want to work with brands. If you find the right ones, they are usually cheaper to work with than influencers, you can do more meaningful projects with them, and they tend to be more authentic.
“A creator might have a smaller audience than an influencer but they often can do more with less. They also might not ask for money if there’s some other type of value exchange such as early access to a new product.”
Instagram and YouTube are the most popular platforms for creators, but delve into any channel and you’ll likely find a vibrant creator culture, Drew said.
Other networks to explore include spontaneous photo sharing app BeReal, communication platform Discord and livestreaming community Twitch. Private communities, such as Facebook and WhatsApp groups, are another format worth looking at.
To stay updated on future Bristol Creative Industries keynote events, sign up for our newsletter.
Globally recognised companies all owe a large part of their fame to the power of marketing.
When done right, marketing can be the biggest factor when it comes to business growth, strong ROI and overall sales revenue. Take Apple for example, in 2022 they generated £3.8 billion ($4.7 billion) from ad revenue alone.
Effective marketing also has the power to increase your brand’s mindshare. When you think of sportswear, Nike and Adidas will likely spring to mind. With fast food, McDonalds will no doubt enter your thoughts.
With revenues in the billions, these huge brands must have a secret formula to their marketing, right? Nope.
These businesses no doubt have marketing teams that pour countless hours into their campaigns and for the most part, it pays off. But what happens when it doesn’t?
In this blog, we’ll look at some famous marketing faux pas – not to gloat, but to learn from them – and help your business avoid making the same mistakes.
When it comes to marketing campaigns that failed to read the room, the Pepsi X Kendall Jenner advert was a particularly high-profile example.
The advert, which aired in 2017, depicted a group of protesters walking through the streets. Kendall Jenner joins the group and offers a police officer on the scene a Pepsi, defusing the tension between groups.
“…riding the coattails of a political movement founded by and for oppressed voices will always be seen to be in poor taste…”
At the time of airing, the Black Lives Matter protests were commencing around the globe, and viewers couldn’t help but notice the parallels drawn between the two. This didn’t work in Pepsi’s favour as people saw it as a trivialisation of a deep-rooted issue.
The backlash caused Pepsi to pull the advert – a sizeable blow to both budget and reputation. It just goes to show that – while it’s great to keep your marketing relevant – riding the coattails of a political movement founded by and for oppressed voices will always be seen to be in poor taste.
Our takeaway?
Always consider the political climate and check the news before you release an ad campaign into the wild (or sign off the budget).
Rebrands can offer huge potential for businesses. When a brand is becoming outdated, giving it a refresh grabs the attention of customers and, when done well, can attract new ones in the process.
Typically, in business, this kind of move is calculated, necessary and carefully takes into account the thoughts of the consumer. However, the same can’t be said of Gap’s 2010 rebrand…
In fact, it ended up costing them $100 million.
One reason this marketing stunt failed so spectacularly was that nobody was expecting it.
No prior announcements, launches, or updates were released. This meant that they hadn’t built up the necessary anticipation for such a big move. The logo change alone was so drastic it left people feeling bewildered at best.
Another major reason this change didn’t work out in Gap’s favour? They didn’t seem to have a reason to do it in the first place. With a loyal customer base spanning the globe, enviable revenue, and a famous brand identity, changing things up just didn’t seem to make sense.
“…while a rebrand could be just what your business needs, it must be underpinned by strategy…”
But alas, the change had been made and people were not happy. On top of the cost of the entire process, they were forced to revert to their old logo within less than a week.
So, while a rebrand could be just what your business needs, it must be underpinned by strategy, done with good reason, and signalled by pre-launch PR and marketing.
Our takeaway?
Always do your background research, build anticipation for the change, and make sure it aligns with the way your customers see you – they are, after all, the most important factor.
Climate change is a very real and important issue that we currently face. Many businesses are aware of this and are making changes to reduce their impact and greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s why you’ll often hear businesses talk about their corporate social responsibility (CSR) or environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.
It’s also why vehicles are tested to ensure emissions are aligned with regulations.
In 2015 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that tens of thousands of Volkswagen’s diesel cars produced in the US each year were cheating emissions tests. And this was after a huge marketing campaign touting the car’s low emissions.
“…it only takes one false claim to lose your customer’s trust…”
Thanks to a device that could detect when the car was being tested and alter the way it performed, the manufacturer was able to falsify recorded emissions.
This meant that the engines of these cars emitted nitrogen oxide up to 40 times greater than the permitted limit in the United States, without it showing up in test results.
Upon this scandal coming to light, not only did Volkswagen lose the trust of a large portion of their current and potential customers. It also meant that in October 2015, the company posted its first quarterly loss in 15 years, which was over £2 billion.
Volkswagen issued a public apology but in spite of efforts to rectify the damage, the scenario remains fresh in people’s minds.
Our takeaway?
It only takes one false claim to lose your customer’s trust. Which is exactly why it’s so important to ensure your business doesn’t get caught in any greenwashing grey areas (or outright deceptions, in this case).
If you want to find out more about greenwashing risks and how to so you can avoid them, explore our CSR marketing series.
While we’ve only covered a handful of examples, marketing mistakes are all too common. And, as we’ve demonstrated, even some of the most famous brands in the world are not immune.
With the potential to cause a loss of revenues, customers, trust, and reputation, it’s important that all marketing and advertising campaigns are backed by strategy, and checked. And double checked. And triple checked.
Because once live, they can be near impossible to take back.
Nobody’s perfect, but we are thorough – both in strategy and quality assurance.
If you have a campaign idea you’d like to discuss, get in touch with our marketing team: [email protected].
How to use language to foster stronger, happier, more productive relationships.
Words: Simeon de la Torre, SIM7.
The language that an organisation uses in its content, copywriting and comms influences not just how it is perceived, but how it makes audiences feel. It’s a complex, nuanced arena, but there are a handful of golden rules to remember around using brand language that’s appropriate and inclusive.
First up: what’s DEI?
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) aims to make everyone within an environment, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, ability, gender or sexual orientation, feel supported and welcome.
Why is it better to use inclusive language?
According to Deloitte, companies that embrace inclusivity and inclusive language have 22% lower turnover rates, 22% greater productivity and 27% higher profitability. Externally, those companies have 39% higher customer satisfaction.
Rule #1 Avoid certain ways of identifying people
Only use race, gender, gender identity, ability, age, sexual orientation, etc. to identify people when strictly necessary, otherwise doing so can draw attention to something about someone’s characteristics that might make them feel different or excluded.
Rule #2 Use people-first language
People-first language prioritises the individual. This is an especially useful point to remember when talking about people who have disabilities.
For example, it’s better to say ‘a person with a disability’ than ‘a disabled person’. The former implies that the disability is a secondary characteristic rather than a defining one. But as mentioned in #1, it’s best to simply avoid mentioning disability unless relevant or strictly necessary.
There are a few exceptions to this point. The deaf community, for instance, generally prefers the term ‘deaf person’ to ‘person with deafness’. If in doubt, it’s best to ask.
Rule #3 Be wary of connotations
Terms such as ‘sexual preference’ or ‘preferred pronouns’ can be problematic. ‘Preference’ implies choice, and that can create a false impression. It’s best to err on the side of caution and use the terms ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘pronouns’ instead.
Rule #4 Avoid inappropriate references
Try to avoid using terms such as ‘bipolar,’ ‘OCD,’ ‘ADHD’ or ‘ASD’ as metaphors, especially in a jokey context. These are real disabilities and disorders. Using their names to refer to things they aren’t can offend people who have them.
Rule #5 Use gender-neutral language
Yes, you may often use language with a specific audience in mind, but pronouns are generally best avoided.
When making a hypothetical point – ‘if he or she went for a walk’, for example – the ‘he or she’ clause is unnecessary, and including it can make non-binary, gender non-conforming or genderqueer folks feel excluded.
When in doubt or when using a pronoun is necessary, ‘they’ is a good choice. It’s gender-neutral and can be used to refer to an individual or a group, so has all bases covered.
Rule #6 Avoid universal phrases
Jargon is often best avoided and it’s a good idea to think before using idioms – not all translate well across cultures.
Rule #7 Avoid using your group as the reference group
Using your group as the reference group can imply it’s the norm and that other groups fall outside that norm. Terms like ‘non-white’, for example, imply that white people are the norm and everyone else, a deviation.
It’s best to take care when saying…
Guys
This term is best avoided when speaking to or referencing a group that contains non-male members.
Good alternatives: ‘Folks’, ‘you all’, ‘everyone’, ‘team’.
Girls/ladies/gals
If she’s over 18, she’s an adult. And take care when saying ‘ladies’ and ‘gals’, these terms can be patronizing. Good alternatives: ‘Women’, ‘people’.
Handicap/handicapped
Today, ‘handicapped’ is considered impolite.
Similarly, when talking about people with disabilities, avoid using terms like ‘afflicted by,’ ‘victim of’, ‘suffers from’, and ‘confined to a wheelchair’. ‘Challenged’, ‘differently abled’, and ‘specially abled’ are best avoided too.
Good alternatives: ‘Disabled’, ‘person with a disability’.
You might also consider…
Mentioning pronouns
Including pronouns – he/him, she/her, they/them – in email signatures can help non-binary, transgender and other folk feel more included.
Trigger warnings
If you’re going to publish content that has the potential to trigger people, it’s a good idea to add a trigger warning to that content. Forewarning people about potentially offensive content can help prevent causing offence.
Writing for web accessibility
People with certain disabilities can have difficulty navigating online content. We can all help ensure the content we create is accessible. See our designing for accessibility cheat sheet for useful tips.
Keeping up-to-date
Inclusive language best practice is constantly evolving. Periodic refreshers are a great way to stay up to date. Taking a moment to think about how the language you’re going to use is inclusive often goes a long way, too.
To learn more about creating an inclusive brand, visit https://sim7creative.co.uk/ or get in touch with Sim (he/him): [email protected]
In an era where businesses are increasingly expected to prioritise social and environmental impact alongside profit, Disruptive Thinking has taken a bold step forward by achieving B Corp certification. This certification marks a significant milestone for team Disruptive, reinforcing their commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, minimising their environmental footprint and dedicating themselves to ongoing improvement.
Disruptive Thinking’s Founder, Yiuwin Tsang said “When founding Disruptive Thinking, I knew I wanted the business to be a force for good. Our company motto is “Good work for good people” and it’s really nice to join the ranks of other businesses who share the same vision, under such a well-regarded standard.”
“The decision to pursue B Corp certification was driven by a deep-seated belief in the power of business to drive positive change. As a team who pride ourselves on being forward-thinking, becoming a B Corp aligns so well with our core values of empathy, integrity, and sustainability.”
“One of the key benefits of being a B Corp is the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded businesses and organisations. We can’t wait to meet other B Corp organisations at local meetups – come over and say ‘Hi’ if you spot any of the team!”
About Disruptive Thinking
Disruptive Thinking is a small team with deep expertise in Marketing, Business Growth and CRM. Our team take on a variety of projects, from designing marketing strategies and executing delivery, to establishing sales processes, to delivering workshops and events.
We’ve worked with accountancy firms, agencies, startups, law firms, publishers, universities, the creative industries and healthcare providers – supporting them on strategic planning and execution across their sales, marketing and delivery efforts.
We work with any size of organisation, from large corporates through to startups, plus public bodies and not-for-profits. Our motto is doing good work for good people. We’re proud of the quality of work we deliver, and ultimately want to work with clients who are also passionate and driven about what they do.
Got any questions? Just want to connect? Reach out to the team at [email protected]
Specialist CRM agency Flourish was celebrating Thursday 18th April following the announcement at the Campaign Media Awards that their work for Pai Skincare had won ‘The CRM and Media Award’ category.
Award judges described the campaign, which utilised first party data to inform a media strategy which ultimately increased conversion and reduced CPA as, “…clever, rock solid.”
The achievement was even greater as Flourish was one of only six agencies up for an award that didn’t come from the Campaign Top 20 (Campaign School Report Billing 2023). Flourish’s Managing Director Ian Reeves commented: “I’m so proud of the team, but I’m not surprised by the win. With stricter privacy regulations in the UK and EU, and the death of cookies, first party data is becoming increasingly important. It provides marketers with ways of reaching customers with more relevant and engaging comms – something CRM specialists like Flourish have been championing for decades!”
Pai is a ‘clean’ skincare brand selling products direct to consumers via their website. Offers are a vital tool in securing a sale, but Pai wanted to reduce their CPA which had crept up over time.
The award winning work utilised Ometria’s Predictive Attributes to identify customer behaviours and classify them as active, at risk or lapsed. The ‘pot’ customers were put in determined the content of the email journeys they would then receive – with offers as a last resort.
In addition, instead of offer / discount messaging, web visitors were retargeted with product ads focusing on quality, to build brand value. Demographic data gained from CRM meant that only visitors who were most likely to buy were retargeted.
Flourish’s Managing Partner and Head of Media Steve Davis said: “This work shows how powerful media strategies driven by CRM insights can be. This campaign was absolutely transformative in terms of reducing CPA and increasing conversion for Pai and demonstrates the ROI agencies like Flourish can deliver for our clients.”
Notes for editors
Flourish is an independently owned, specialist CRM agency based in Bristol. Platform agnostic, the agency works with the tech clients have in place to deliver data-driven customer journeys to OPTIMISE, ELEVATE and ultimately TRANSFORM their clients CRM.
For more information contact Ian Reeves, Managing Director [email protected].