ill communication: copywriting tips & sales strategies for small businesses – Details, episodes & analysis

I’m all about finding the easy, simple way to do things, so in this episode, I’m sharing my approach to a simple yet effective marketing strategy: the monthly marketing moment. 

As a copy coach and sales strategist, I’m breaking down how hosting regular, low-key workshops or Q&A sessions has helped me grow my email list, build authority, and foster relationships with potential clients. 

Whether you're looking to build your brand, expand your network, or simply connect with your audience more consistently, this quick episode has something for you!

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• What is a monthly marketing moment?
• The 3 huge benefits of a monthly marketing moment
• How to implement your own monthly marketing moment without overthinking or overcomplicating
• Who this approach is ideal for

Tune in to learn why I love this "lazy, low-key style of launching" for boutique business owners and service providers who don't need complicated funnels or systems to attract a handful of premium clients.

Show notes are always available at https://www.kimkiel.com/podcast!!

Resources Mentioned:

111: Why simplicity is the secret to online business success

Pick my brain!

1. Visit https://www.speakpipe.com/kimkiel to record a voice note with your question or suggestion. Include your name, email and background info for context.

2. Send me a text. Find the link to text me a question or comment in the show notes. When you click that link, it’ll open up your text messenger, where you can text your question directly to me. Leave all the weird numbers that pop up and add your name and email or mobile number so I can keep in touch.

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

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I’m taking a much needed detour on this episode to address a common issue many of us entrepreneurs face: feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of tasks and systems needed to run a successful business. 

Through two real-life examples from my recent coaching calls where this exact topic came up, I illustrate how both new and experienced business owners can become paralyzed by trying to implement too many strategies at once. 

In this episode of Ill Communication, I’m covering the importance of focusing on core priorities and giving you permission to keep things simple, especially when starting out or pivoting your business.

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• Why a simple, focused approach could be the key to attracting more clients and growing your business
• Practical advice on how to identify and prioritize the most critical elements for business growth
• The "bare minimum" needed to get started or pivot your business, and how can you identify it
• How simplifying your approach will lead to more clarity and success in your business

By the end of this episode, you’ll feel encouraged to take a step back, assess your immediate needs, and focus on the "bare minimum" required to move your business forward. 

Show notes are always available at https://www.kimkiel.com/podcast!!

Resources Mentioned:

Uncover your best next step in your biz on a free Sales Strategy Call: https://bookacallwithkim.as.me/SuccessCall

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

In this episode of ill communication, I’m sharing another Greatest Hits episode, and this is one that I know really struck a chord with many of you. It’s why the world needs to hear from more women in business. 

Have you ever struggled with self-confidence and self-worth? You’re not alone in feeling like that. 

Women are generally socialized and conditioned not to trust our own expertise and when we do, we are often not heard or ignored. It's no wonder we struggle to show up and present ourselves with authority, confidence, and command! In this episode of ill communication, I’m sharing some tips to help you build your confidence muscle and shut down the negative nelly in your brain so that you can start showing up and sharing your voice.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• One expert who can help you massively grow your confidence 
• What a supportive community can do for your confidence levels
• The power of being scared… and doing it anyway
• The truth about why we need more diverse voices 

The world needs more beautiful voices like yours. Tune in to learn how to share it with confidence! 

Show notes are always available at https://www.kimkiel.com/podcast!!

Resources Mentioned:

Listen to episode 100: https://www.kimkiel.com/podcast-1/the-100th-episode-reflections-challenges-listener-questions-about-copywriting-business-and-podcasting

Fill out the contact form to get help sharing your voice with confidence: https://www.kimkiel.com/contact-kim.

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

This episode of ill communication is going to help you come up with content for any day of the year. 

As you may know, about once a month on the podcast I share a writing prompt to give you a little inspiration for what to write about. Whether you’re looking for an idea for an email, blog article, or social media post, this writing prompt has saved me many times when I’m brain-dead and can’t think of what to write. 

The best part is that this writing prompt is so simple. All you have to do is check out what national day it is that day! There are websites that list every holiday. All you have to do is scroll through that website and see what inspires you. 

You can connect it to your business if it works for you. However, you don’t have to. You can also just use it to bring a little delight, entertainment, and joy. 

Tune in to this episode to learn more about how I use this writing prompt whether it’s for business or just to bring a little joy to my readers’ lives and put a smile on their faces. 

Show notes are always available at www.kimkiel.com!

Resources Mentioned:

Find out the National Day: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/

See a live example (and get the recipe for the Ginger Minted Mule): https://mailchi.mp/2e3db1dd9e2e/minted-mule

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

Last week, at the end of the episode, I let you know that if you tune in this week I will share some formulas for writing subject lines - including my favorite one. That is a technique called an open loop. 

You’ll see this technique used frequently in movies and T.V. shows. The cliffhanger entices you to come back for more, which is why it’s one of my favorite subject line formulas. 

In this episode of ill communication, I’m sharing part 2 of my mini-series to increase your email open rates. Last week, we talked about how to measure them and the effect your sender name has on your open rates. This week, I’m sharing my tips for subject lines and preview text. 

Your subject line is a critical piece of your email strategy because it’s essentially a mini advertisement to get people to click on your email. These subject line formulas are tried and true and sure to increase your email open rates. 

Your preview text is just as important as your subject line. It allows you to further amp up the drama for your email and entice people to click. 

Tune in to learn more about how to nail your subject line and preview text for higher open rates! 

Show notes are always available at www.kimkiel.com!

Resources Mentioned:

Listen to part 1: https://www.kimkiel.com/podcast-1/increase-your-email-open-rates-with-these-proven-strategies-part-1

Check out my favorite emoji search engine: https://emojipedia.org/

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

Think about the mail you’ve received recently… I’m talking about snail mail. If you’re like me, you probably get a lot of bills. You can just tell by the envelope when it’s a bill. They all look official, ominous, and boring. You also probably get plenty of junk mail and fliers. 

My favorite kind of mail, however, is something that I rarely receive any more. It’s a letter from a friend or family member, a postcard, or an actual envelope with unique handwriting. This is the kind of mail I open immediately because I’m so curious to see what’s inside. 

This got me thinking about emails and what makes readers want to actually open them. There are a lot of lessons we can take from snail mail that we can apply to digital mail. In this episode of ILL communication, I’m sharing the first part of my two-part series on getting your emails opened. 

In this first part, I’m highlighting a few simple tips and changes you can make when you send your emails to get people to open and read them. You’ll get my simple do’s and don’ts. 

Next week, you’ll get my plug-and-play subject line formulas. We will talk about preheader text in emails and how that can help or hinder your open rates. 

This series is going to be full of my best tips so make sure to tune in so you don’t miss a thing! 

Show notes are always available at www.kimkiel.com!

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

What do the Beastie Boys, Rice Krispies, and the movie 9 To 5 have in common? 

If you guessed that they were a few of my favorite things, you wouldn’t be wrong! However, these are all brilliant examples of a powerful writing and marketing principle that will help you write memorable, effective, and entertaining sales copy. 

In this episode of ill communication, you’re going to find out why the rule of three is a powerful tool to have in your marketing toolbox. You’ll begin to use it to strengthen your message and after this episode, you’ll probably begin to see it everywhere. 

As Aristotle said, three is perfection. Our brains love patterns and three is the smallest number you need to create a pattern. Once you start infusing this rule into your copy, you’ll love the way it turns out. 

You don’t have to follow this rule exclusively, that would probably get pretty annoying for your reader and you can’t always convey every message with this rule. But the next time you’re writing for your business, keep the rule of three in mind because it could turn a bland, boring message into something more memorable. 

Tune in to learn more about the rule of three and how to use it to make your sales copy stand out. 

Show notes are always available at www.kimkiel.com!

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

Ready to write effective sales copy? 

In this episode of ill communication, I’m providing you with a checklist to help you write effective sales copy. You’ll use this checklist to help you prepare for writing and to help you edit your writing before you hit send or publish. 

You’ll learn this with the 5 Cs of copywriting. If you’re a digital marketer or copywriter, you might have heard of Bob Bly’s copywriting formula. It is a beautifully succinct way of explaining the foundations of great sales copy. 

I think Bob’s formula is awesome; however, I do think that something is missing and it is worth adding to the formula. It’s an ingredient that is sadly missing from a lot of the sales messaging that we see today. 

Tune in to hear my modern refresh of this classic formula and how to start using it to level up your sales copy today. 

Show notes are always available at www.kimkiel.com!

Resources Mentioned:

Instantly level up your copy with the Rule of You: https://www.kimkiel.com/podcast-1/instantly-level-up-your-copy-with-the-rule-of-you
Learn more about Bob Bly: https://www.bly.com/

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

Need inspiration for what to write? You’re in the right place because I’m coming in hot with your monthly writing prompt.

As a refresher, a writing prompt is something that gives you inspiration for what to write in your next email, blog, or social media post. 

The writing prompt I’m sharing is perfect for building the “know, like, and trust” factor with your audience and building your authority. It’s an especially good piece of content to include in the pre-launch phase of your sale or promotion. 

This prompt will help you answer the question every customer has: “How do I know if I’m ready for your service or program?” It’s brilliant because you basically help them see if they actually need to work with you. 

Another amazing perk of using this writing prompt is that it is so versatile. You can use it in so many different ways. You can present it as a checklist, a listicle article, or a carousel post, just to name a few. 

Tune in to hear more about this writing prompt, why it’s perfect for your business, and how to use it! 

Show notes are always available at www.kimkiel.com!

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about writing prompts: https://www.kimkiel.com/podcast-1/cant-think-about-what-to-write-use-this-tool

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!

Want to make your copy sound a little more elegant? Earlier on in my career, I learned the simplest and easiest trick for this. 

In this episode of ill communication, we are talking about the trouble with “that.” You may be surprised to find you can eliminate it (and other unnecessary filler words) from most of your copy, and it still reads the same while sounding so much better. 

It’s surprising how much it comes up in our language and how we actually don’t need to use it very often. “That” is a filler word. It clutters your copy and gives your readers more words to read than they actually need.  

All of the words I’m sharing today can be easily eliminated to improve readability and clarity. Think about it- people are hit with over 5,000 messages per day. Most people are seeing those messages through a small smartphone screen, so you have to ask yourself “how can I make this easier to read?” 

Topics We Cover in This Episode:

•  How I learned to stop using “that” so much
• Other filler words you can easily remove from your copy
• Why readability and clarity are so important
• Why people are more likely to read when there are fewer filler words 

Of course, there will be instances where you need to use these filler words, but in general, cutting them out will make your copy stronger. more elegant, and easier to read. 

Tune in to learn more about what words to leave out of your copy and how it will take your copywriting skills to the next level. 

Show notes are always available at www.kimkiel.com!

Resources Mentioned:

Check out CKUA: https://ckua.com/

I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel

Text me a question or comment!