Red Ink Words

Name: Julia Woods
Position: Writing Sidekick
Website: www.redinkwords.com.au
Location: Australia

As a writing sidekick, I’m dedicated to helping my clients change the world through storytelling and creating content that is accessible, inspirational and actionable.

I help make their words express their individuality and have a positive impact.

On the surface, I’m a content writer, copywriter and tender writer. But as a writing sidekick, what I really do is give my clients superhuman powers. I create inspirational and actionable content, so, my clients can get on with truly enjoying and living their authentic purpose of making a positive impact on the world!

Every entrepreneur superhero needs a sidekick.

I’m dedicated to giving a voice to my clients’ stories and visions

What products/services do you offer?

CONTENT MARKETING AND COPYWRITING
Having content is an easy way to engage with an audience and allows you to show your expertise. The problem is there are only 24 hours in a day, and when you’re in charge it seems a lot shorter. Let me help you develop relevant content, so you can get on with doing what you love.

I’ll write your content, whether it be a blog, script, social media or whatever you need, so that it sounds like you, taking your brand, your company tone of voice and brand values into account.

I offer well written, and well-researched content that are written for your ideal clients first and the search engines second.

Content development is available for

  • Your story
  • Blogs
  • eBooks
  • Marketing materials
  • Whitepapers
  • Reports
  • Policies and procedures
  • Business documents
  • Product descriptions and packaging
  • Resumes and Cover letters

TENDERING SUPPORT
Tenders, submissions, bids or proposals… whatever term is used, it usually means a lot of work.

I offer a range of solutions to support your tendering at any stage of the process, from assessing your readiness to full bid management.

WEBSITE AND MICROCOPY CONTENT
I offer a range of website and microcopy content solutions, making sure that high-quality content is delivered on-time and on budget.

These are perfect for anyone who is looking for website or web/mobile apps content to increase your engagement and build your credibility.

I will write it for you, allowing you time to do what you love.

Why did you start your business and how long have you been running it?

I started and have been running my business since 2017.

What struggles do you think most businesses face in your industry and what would you say they need to do to overcome them?

Fear and self-doubt are terrible emotions that undermine our happiness and can hold us back. And well-meaning people who tell us that we can’t achieve our dreams.

Everyone deals with these differently, for me the moment my business took off was when that I decided I would help people was when I made a choice to listen to those who loved me and knew me well, (and were encouraging me to chase my dreams) instead of that nasty little inner voice.

For so long, I held back. I waited for so long for the right time. I am sure it came and went so many times…

I’ve wanted to give up early on but instead I decided to invest in myself and become a certified content marketer with one of the best in the world.

Some days I am still falling off that cliff, and other days I have it all figured out, but no regrets of choosing a new path

Just maybe dreams can be achieved.

What has been your greatest accomplishment?

Because of my business, we have been able to chase our dreams of travelling. I live with my gorgeous girlfriend and our amazing fur babies, (including my three-legged cat Tanzy) in a 1984 Windsor Caravan travelling around Australia.

AND I’m LOVING doing awesome things with clients… writing!

I am living my dream life!

What has been your biggest ‘fail’ so far?

I have had to big fails.

Firstly, I had a client who told me, I was more an editor than a writer. It hit me hard, but eventually I realised it was about her not being clear on what she wanted. It wasn’t that I was a crap writer.

Secondly, due to fear and the opinion of just one client, I didn’t do any content marketing for nearly 12 months, which affected my business and saw me nearly lose my house.

What do you love most about your business?

I am inspired by people who want to change the world, people who want to build a just and successful world. I love people who have passion and excitement for living life on their terms AND I get to help them!

I am passionate about keeping content marketing simple and using my skill with writing to make dreams come true.

What do you find most challenging?

I still find it a challenge to put myself out there and to sell myself.

I love and am great at doing it for my clients, but not so great at doing it for me.

I’m also not a numbers or techie kind of girl, so doing my finances and the technical side of stuff is something I hand over to someone way more skilled than me.

How do you promote your business (please include as many details as you can)?

I have a content marketing plan and well-developed client personas that I use to guide what I do. Predominantly I use content marketing across a range of platforms to promote my business.

I focus on the following platforms

  • The Red Ink Words website (including a blog)
  • Social media – LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook

I am doing significant work to build organic search by increasing use of SEO tactics.

Website – My website offers a good first impression and clearly represents my business, brand, products and services, I regularly conduct site audits and work on improving the site on a regular basis (it is an ongoing project).

For my website, I will create articles with a focus on how to blogs and to share industry knowledge or resources. All my content is framed on how it can help and impacts on my clients’ lives and the tools and solutions that will help them.

Comments, sharing and subscribing is encouraged as the main CTAs.

Social Media
Social media is a big player in my content strategy both to engage with potential audiences and used to post teasers of content with a link to drive people to my website for email list building and potential conversion.

Social media offers valuable community-building opportunities. I focus on relationships, not sales. I can market what I do and be professional without falling into a cookie-cutter mould.

I’m engaging weekly on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram through groups and responding to comments. I also take time to respond to other people’s posts.

I have a schedule of how much and what sort of content I share on each platform.

What business skills do you have (eg. graphic design, customer service)?

  • Anything writing!
  • Content Marketing
  • Copywriting
  • Tendering and Grants
  • Willingness to try new things
  • Customer service
  • Search engine optimisation
  • Social media marketing
  • Ebooks and downloadables
  • Access to a graphic designer

What software did you/your designer use to create your website (eg. WordPress, Wix)?

WordPress and Elementor.

What are some of your favourite business tools and apps?

So many favs,
Asana to keep me organised
Yoast and Smushit plugins for my website to help with SEO and to compress images
Prowritingaid and Grammerly to help with editing my content
Planoly, and Hootsuite (free versions) to help with my social media posting

What do you like about your website and what’s not working for you?

My website is an ongoing process.

At times I love it, other times I fight with it!

I love the content side of my website.

The techie side can do my head in and I have a IT friend who has helped SO many times, when I mess something up…

What lessons have you learnt during your time as an entrepreneur?

That at the end of the day, you have to be YOURSELF.

There are so many people telling you how to do things, the perfect way to make money blah blah, but at the end of the day you have to be comfortable with what you do and how you do it.

And to just do it, when putting yourself out there on social media. Without exposure, there are no clients finding you and wanting your service.

What key tips for success in business would you like to share with others?

Be clear on who you want to help and how your skills can help them. This sets the basis for everything you do.

What is the one thing that you want everyone to take away from this post?

My superpower is words. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A superpower isn’t a skill but a perspective, a mindset, a way of working that enhances everything you touch. It’s unique, like a thumbprint. It is that quality that causes others to say, “You know who would be great for this…?” or “We should go to so and so. They would know exactly what to do here.”
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If you get to know your superpower and practice it, you will enjoy life more than the average person. Your superpower is a tool to help you become of benefit to the world. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Suddenly, you are no longer a person with a set of skills but a hero who can save the day!
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Know your superpower

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