Member Profile: Meet Charlotte Riley from a.c.riley communications This is the fifth post in monthly series – The AIMS Member Profiles – in which AIMS volunteer and blog correspondent Eden Spodek interviews and profiles an AIMS premium member.
Charlotte Riley – a marketing and online content writer, editor and SEO expert – hung out her shingle and launched a.c.riley communications in August 2004. She joined AIMS in January 2007.
What have you done to build your company’s brand/your personal brand and what advice do you have for AIMS members looking to do the same?
As an independent, I'm solely responsible for my brand identity. I am fully accountable for every piece of writing I send out. The acriley.com Web site had to reflect that accountability and commitment to my clients. My photographs and self-portraits became an integral part of my site, and I wrote copy that provides visitors a glimpse of who I am. So there is both a visual and textual referential story.
It came down to going beyond expectations. Always delivering more. Knowing that you are fully responsible for not only your own experience in life, but your clients' experience with you. Now, almost all of my business is word-of-mouth.
Advice?
• Understand your brand/corporate DNA. Then live it.
• Celebrate what makes you different.
• Deliver a better product. On time.
• Your word is everything. Always keep it.
• Never, ever, let your customer down.
a.c.riley communications specialty is audience-focused content. What makes it unique and how do you differentiate yourself from other writers/content producers?
I tend to take a more holistic view of the process, not just my copywriting part. I've been writing specifically for the Web for the last seven years, so I think I've got an innate sense of what works and how to create fluid copy - keywords and all!
My specialty is creating credible and engaging content that sounds completely natural. Online copy has to hold up a mirror to your target audience and reflect the way they speak, their values and ultimately what they are looking for. The words have to connect emotionally with your audience.
I noticed you have what appears to be a blog on your website but you call it a b(abble)log and swear you'll never write a blog…
You caught me - it really is a blog! But, I never wanted to have a "cheese sandwich blog" ("I had a cheese sandwich for lunch today. The bread was stale, but the pickles made up for a lot.") In a world of millions of blogs, it is hard to be truly unique, but b(abble)log is a collection of tips and hints for SMEs, articles or blog entries that catch my eye, my take on copywriting and marketing, and the odd rant.
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