Website copy and content for transport and location intelligence experts Abley
Back in 2020, about three months into owning my own business, I posted on LinkedIn about the magic of case studies. The post got five likes and one comment. The comment was from me. But this is a cautionary tale about pursuing vanity metrics. Because Mel Gurden, Marketing Manager from Abley saw that post, and hopped into my DMs.
A few days later I was having coffee with Mel. She said, “Your posts kept popping up in my feed and your content really resonated with me. It was just really compelling and made me curious to find out more about what you do and how you could help Abley.”
Unsolicited LinkedIn advice tangent klaxon
I’m going to digress for a minute to give you unsolicited LinkedIn advice. I’ve been working with Abley for three years now. They’re one of my key clients, but far more importantly, they’re absolutely freaking delightful, smart people, and I adore working with them.
There’s a fallacy you have to be a mega influencer person with thousands and thousands of followers to make money on LinkedIn. That is utter pants. Back then I had about 300 connections. My average post reach was 135.2 people and a hamster called Sid into bitcoin. But because I was posting regularly, and sharing helpful advice connected to the services I offer, I got regular enquiries from folks like Mel, asking for help wrangling words. It doesn’t matter how tiny your following is. Get posting. Free LinkedIn tips over here.
Right, back to Abley’s story
Mel explains the situation she was in. “Our website was outdated and needed a refresh. It was a great opportunity to start from scratch. First we thought we simply needed some new website content, but then we realised we didn't have a solid brand story.”
“We’re a complex business. Abley was formed when a transport engineering firm merged with a location data consultancy, and so it became confusing talking about what we do. We needed a succinct way to share with potential clients and employees who we are and what we do. And that's where you came in, Lizzie to work your magic.”
“At the time, I was the only marketing resource in a very busy, growing organisation. So, I needed the help of a specialist copywriter who could dive deep into our business and articulate clearly what we do. That involved interviews with lots of key people across our transportation, road safety, and technology teams. You were able to understand our key areas of expertisel and work them into a simple compelling brand story our audience could understand.”
Wrangling a big ole beast of a website
The brand story set the tone for Abley’s marketing and communications, and the website content was a natural evolution of that.
Mel explains, “Initially, we thought we were creating a pretty simple site, but because of the breadth of the services we offer, the website morphed into quite a large project. Your experience helped steer us in the right direction. You gave us clear advice and a thorough process. We wanted to make the site a lot more succinct. You used your wordsmithing skills to make our messages concise and put our brand story up in lights. And you helped us establish that balance between credibility and not getting too carried away with overwhelming technical detail.”
Mel’s not wrong about the size of the project. The new Abley site was a beast with 32 pages, and six case studies (we’ve built a bigger library of client stories over time). It was a real test of my ability to absorb vast quantities of complex info and simplify it into digestible chunks.
Fortunately, it all worked out just fine
Several months of secret sweat while pretending to be composed and confident all paid off. Mel says. “The new website has been amazing for Abley. We've had a huge increase in traffic. Abley has also grown hugely in the last couple of years, from a small to a medium sized organisation. The website is our shop window, so it's important it reflects who we are and where we're going. And the new site makes our expertise really clear.”
“The case studies profiling our work definitely help to generate leads. You’re great at interviewing our clients and capturing their feedback and testimonials. You show the value we've created through our solutions. And our clients are very willing to open up to you, which is fantastic because it's important to have their story in their own words.”
“The site is key for our employer brand as well. Recruitment is challenging because there are limited people with the experience we’re looking for in our technical fields. So having an informative website that speaks to the work we do and life at Abley gives us a competitive edge when it comes to looking for talent. And time and time again, our People and Culture Manager has said that during interviews the candidates have commented on how great the content is on our website, how it makes our culture sing.”
A new site is just the start
When Mel and I sat down and scoped out Abley’s new site, the websites Abley aspired to emulate were those where there was clear messaging and a strong connection between what the organisation did, and what they wanted to promote. Quality content was a central part of their website mix. When you invest in a new site, it’s critical to invest in a content strategy as well, because launching a new site is just the start. Once it’s live you’ve got to create reasons for people to keep visiting, and that’s where content comes in.
As part of the website project, I worked with Mel to put together a content marketing strategy and delivered a series of workshops to inspire and empower the Abley team to create blogs and LinkedIn posts. Mel recalls, “Your work with our content marketing strategy has helped guide us in building a useful content resource for our clients. It makes sure we're identifying relevant content topics and crafting thought pieces to attract and engage our audience. Abley is very active on LinkedIn and planning in advance is key when it comes to being able to roll out regular content, delivering fresh messages and highlighting the work we’re doing.”
“It was great to have your help to identify Abley content champions. Getting your advice on what sort of content we should be sharing, and different tips and tricks to use to get more engagement, has given our people more confidence. The people who attended your content workshops have continued to post more regularly. We’ve a group of people passionate about creating content who are becoming more confident using LinkedIn. They’ve endorsed your training, embraced posting, and are creating engaging content.”
Trust, hope, and insights
Whenever I interview one of the glorious humans I work with I ask them where I add most value. Mel says, “The way you can take an idea, dig deep to find insights, and weave that into a really compelling story is super valuable, whether it’s a case study or content for our website. The real gold is we don't have to brief you anymore. You know our business and understand it so well that you can take a project, run with it, and add that extra value.”
You’re another arm to our marketing team, providing storytelling when we need it. And you’re reliable. We know your outputs are always going to be high quality, we trust you with our clients, and they trust you and share their insights because of the way you are.”
“Finding you was so exciting Lizzie because I knew Abley had so much potential to grow, but with limited resources it was hard. So, finding you gave me hope that I could achieve more.”
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