It may be a year past in July when I struck out on my own as a start-up business, but for various reasons in the initial setting up phase, I worked under the radar for the first couple of months, only ‘coming out’ as a business as it were, last September. So, while July 1 is my official business birthday, September also has special significance for me, as it’s when Claire Savage Editorial became really real.
As a storyteller for brands and in journalism articles in my working life, and as a poet and short story writer in my personal life, words are at the centre of my existence. I love to read and I love to write, and I understand and value the importance that the written word plays in every area of our lives.
From the books that we read for pleasure and the papers we read for news and updates, to the digital content that we consume through blogs, social media and websites, the written word is constantly informing us and shaping our opinions – whether we’re always aware of that fact or not.
So, when I decided to finally go for it and set up my business as a professional wordsmith/entrepreneur, I was excited to think about the content I could create to help other businesses and individuals tell their stories. In the year past, I’ve subsequently had the chance to work with everyone from fellow start-ups and more established companies, to social enterprises and more. I’ve also realised that, while I have the skills to write content for many different platforms, writing for website pages, blogs and articles has been the most often requested. In short – I’ve found that while copywriting is in itself a specialist skill, refining my skillset even further into writing for these key areas is what my business is perhaps better focusing on.
One of my first jobs was to write case studies on some local businesses for CEA.
Of course, it hasn’t always been easy to generate sales and, as any new business owner will agree, it takes time to establish your name and to become known for your services. Also, in an increasingly digitised world where everyone (more or less!) is now generating content of every kind, it can be difficult to make yourself heard above the noise. In a world crammed full of people who write content every day, it can often be hard to spot the actual writers.
That’s where social media and more specifically, Twitter, has helped hugely.
Last autumn (2014), I attended some social media workshops at Causeway Enterprise Agency (CEA) in Coleraine. There were sessions about Facebook, Instagram and many other things, but what I found the most enlightening and indeed, the most useful to my business, was the workshop on Twitter. Having only signed up to Twitter a year previous, with a little help from one of my former work colleagues at The Coleraine Chronicle, I had used it but rarely and never really posted anything on it. Heck – I barely even knew how to use it still. So, how could it possibly benefit my business?
With Wayne Denner at the first #BelfastHour meet-up in 2014.
Step forward online reputation guru and Twitter expert, Wayne Denner, who very quickly helped me to understand that on Twitter, I could make myself known to and engage with just about anyone in the business world. Indeed, after explaining how he used Twitter to interact with people and how it could, after a time, start to generate sales (I can vouch for that!), he mentioned a few hashtags that were worth following (by then I also knew what a hashtag was). These were primarily #irishbizparty and a newly launched hashtag – #BelfastHour.
Now, anyone who uses Twitter for business in Northern Ireland must surely have heard of #BelfastHour, as it has literally exploded since last summer, with over 9,000 followers and a steady stream of interactors every Thursday night between 9pm and 10pm. In short, you follow the hashtag every Thursday evening from 9pm and chat with businesses from all over NI and sometimes beyond. It’s networking like never before – in the comfort of your own home, out of sight and yet also – in very plain view. For let’s not kid ourselves – it’s a global platform and anyone in the world can read your tweets. Which is what’s so exciting about it. That and the relationships you build up with the other users. Oh, and the great prizes up for grabs…
At the second #BelfastHour meet-up with more online friends in the flesh!
With the internet and social media, businesses can now grow their brand and get known more easily than ever before, which makes great content even more important. It’s been one of my major learning curves in my first year of business, and it won’t of course, be the last.
Facebook also helps and as I quickly found out – it’s all about choosing the platform that works best for you in terms of connecting with your audience. As a services business, I find Twitter exceptionally useful, but Facebook also works well.
Our leadership coursework group with Darren Gardiner of Ground Espresso Bars.
After my social media learning curve, I also completed a leadership module at Ulster University in Coleraine, meeting more like-minded individuals through a programme run by the Honeycomb Creative Works initiative, and with input from CEA. As part of this course, I studied local businesses and leadership styles, as well as identifying my own particular style and learning about what makes leaders rather than managers.
Leadership course certificate!
So, after a year of self-employment, I’ve discovered new ways to market my business, to connect with others in the same boat, and to find more experienced entrepreneurs to swap tips with and to learn from. I say swap tips as, yes, we all have something we can bring to the table, no matter how long you’ve been out on your own. I may still be classed as a start-up business, but I have eight years’ experience as a journalist and writing business-related content to my name, along with over a year’s SEO website experience as a solo entrepreneur. I also blog every week (have done so for the past two years) on my creative writing site, and am constantly writing in lots of different styles and forms.
I’ve met a lot of great people since last year and also learned a few lessons in terms of time management, costing and negotiating, as well as marketing, networking and much more.
For me, the story of my business has only just started, and I intend for a lot more to come! I’ve been to lots of different business events as well, and next week, I’ve secured a 60-second pitch at the Entrepreneurial Spark showcase event in Belfast, courtesy of Ulster Bank. So, I’ll have a minute to get people excited about my business and to convince them about the power of words. I’ll let you know how it goes…
If you want to find out more about how great writing can help your business, just drop me an email or say hello on Twitter. 🙂