By telling the reader how everybody else is behaving, it makes them want to conform. This idea is known as social proof and it can be more persuasive than simply asking someone to do something.

Do you think the sign would be as strong if it read:

Please shower before entering the pool

It’s shorter, but it’s very plain and formulaic.

By including some detail (the areas are hygienic because of the showering) we understand that everybody is taking a personal responsibility for the group’s benefit.

The “(Don’t you!)” is a little bit cheeky (exclamation mark rather than question mark – which could feel too accusatory), it singles the reader out and makes them consider their own behaviour and it ends the message on a light note.

Using social proof is a great way to let people know how you want them to behave, without sounding too bossy about it.

1. When you produce a blog post, spend a third of your time writing the text.
2. Then spend another third crafting your headline. It really does need that amount of time.
3. Spend your last chunk of time formatting the post. Add bullet points, images, multimedia, anything you think that will make it easier to read.

In my experience, people don’t take care formatting their posts to make them visually appealing and they definitely don’t spend enough time on the headline. But that’s a post for another day!

Got a blogging tip? Share it here.

I helped teach the web journalism students – a fantastic bunch who produced some brilliant websites for their dissertations.

Find out more about journalism at the University of Sheffield.

Good luck class of 2012!

Iulia on graduation day

The lifestyle channel had written an article about how eating from a red plate could help you to lose weight - and you can see below the headline is very straightforward. However, it pretty much gives everything away, so you’d only click through to find out why. Scroll down to see how I rewrote the headline for the homepage.

I’ve rewritten the headline for the homepage so it teases the content and gives the user a reason to click through. There’s enough information here so that you know it’s going to be an article about managing your weight, it’s something to do with colour and it’s easy to apply (it ‘might just work for you’). The headline doesn’t over-promise, nor does it give everything away.

• On-page headline: ‘Eating from a red plate could help you to lose weight’
• Homepage headline: ‘This colourful diet trick might just work for you’

Let me know if you’d like to see more examples like this – and please share how you’d have rewritten it.

Read: The five website copy crimes you should avoid committing.

(This was a guest post I wrote for the The Business Blogging Network website, published on December 7, 2011.)

The charity helps incurably ill people stay in their own home by providing tailored support for people and their families with a range of services and help.

Firstly we talked about using an appropriate tone on social media, based on their existing style from their website. We also discussed language, in particular using the word ‘dying’ and whether or not to talk about death.

Tweets and retweets

I passed on some tips on how to write good tweets and how to encourage retweets. In the same vein we also looked at words and types of tweets that were less likely to get retweeted. We looked at the range and purpose of tweets – some are to give information, some are to start/respond to conversations and some tweets are building blocks to give an insight to the inner workings of the charity.

Then we looked at Facebook and discussed how to make the most of it – again focusing on tone, engagement and timing.

Jessica Ennis' recipe for Jerk Chicken

The charity has just produced a lovely calendar featuring lots of Britain’s top athletes sharing their favourite recipes. It’s the perfect thing to share on Facebook! We had a think about how to spread the message on Twitter too, including asking the featured sportspeople to retweet the link, sending it to foodie tweeters like @GuardianFood, @Channel4Food and including hashtags to tweets when food programmes are on e.g. #jamiesgreatbritain.

Incidentally, I bought one and can’t wait to try Jess Ennis’ jerk chicken, go on – get one!

This was my first engagement as a Media Trust volunteer. Media Trust matches volunteers in the media industry to charities who need support.

Related links:

• Helen’s Trust website
• Follow Helen’s Trust on Twitter @helenstrust
• Helen’s Trust on Facebook
• The Media Trust

Richard gave us an overview of the company and its business model – they make jet engines (the product) and they provide a maintenance contract to look after the engine (services). Their income is split roughly 50:50 products and services. Because an engine will typically last between 30-50 years, the aftercare can bring in more money than the sale of the engine.

Leave your emotions behind

While in B2C sales the decision to buy is often based on emotion, in B2B sales this is much less important. Price, features and quality of the item play a much larger part in the decision-making process.

So (with thanks to Richard), here’s a look at what the market and marketing is like for fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and a jet engine:

Now this is where the differences between marketing to customers and marketing to business really become evident. They’re almost opposites when you look at the marketing and return on investment considerations:

Because the pool of customers is smaller, the marketers spend their time developing a relationship with them, rather than spending money to advertise at them. The customer contact time is more important. The scale of the transaction is much larger, the decision time is longer and the impact of those decisions span decades.

Focus on the relationship

The marketer’s job is to create a climate for the customer to say yes. How do they do this? They focus on the relationship. They create a high-value offering where the engine is just the beginning. The focus is on aftermarket support to keep the customer happy during the lifetime of the product.

A relationship is a two-way process where you can take feedback and incorporate it into your product or services and by doing this your customer is more likely to feel valued. And if customer satisfaction is high, then why would they go anywhere else?

Maybe hiring a copywriter is a bit OTT for a sticker with just a handful of words in it. But when you get it wrong, and splash the roundel over your shop frontage at least five times, you look a bit silly.

Here’s the ad:

But take a closer look at the (rather faint) copy:

It’s written in simple English and it’s short. It explains the idea of the rock – “it runs through everything”. It acknowledges that the slogan is not gimmicky and infers that they are above that sort of trick. It’s passionate – “it’s at the heart of everything” and it makes me believe in the brand.

I can’t decide if I love it or hate it. What do you think?

(Please note, this is not a real job advert.)

Chats Passion magazine