Growing your business means getting yourself noticed. What content can you create to attract new social media followers and website visitors and let people find out about you when you’re not face-to-face?
Read on for some ideas.
Be creative in how you present information
Whenever you create new content, think about how you can reuse it, so your audience gets the point no matter what kind of content they prefer. For example, you can edit your website copy for leaflets and present social media posts as text, graphics or videos.
Keyword blogs and articles
Writing blogs or articles using keywords your customers are searching for will help you show up in a Google search. You can also share them on your socials and educate people about your services. So, think about your services and what you want to be known for, and write about that.
Case studies
Case studies show your future customers the results you’ve got for real people like them, so it helps them trust you. Sharing them on your website helps your SEO, and you can post them on your socials or make a video telling the story.
Testimonials
Testimonials work the same way as case studies, except they come straight from your customers. Google reviews help your SEO, but you can also make graphics out of positive reviews and share them as posts.
Infographics
Infographics help people remember information so they can make great posts, and you can include them as a summary in your blog posts. They’re good on Pinterest as you can use them to summarise a longer article and post them with a link.
List articles
List articles could include top tips, questions, or your favourite resources; there are loads of possibilities. Post them on your website and break them down into individual social media posts and Reels or summarise the key points.
Personal stories
Sharing your story helps your customers get to know the person behind the business. A story can be an article or a few sentences so you can share them on your website and social media as text, images or videos.
Business cards
Believe it or not, some of us still have business cards (mine are from pre-lockdown). They’re great for networking, but you can carry them all the time; I once had someone ask for my card at a kids’ birthday party!
Leaflets
Leaflets offer more information than your business card can, which means you can pin them on your local noticeboard, leave them on a bumph table in a café or send them in the post.
Brochures
Brochures let you show off your work and give more details about your products and services. They can be pricey, so you could stick to sending them in response to new enquiries, but they can be a great way to introduce yourself to new people, especially if you offer a B2B service.
Merchandise
You’ve probably seen personalised merchandise at expos and trade fairs, but they work well as thank-you gifts and as a way of introducing yourself by post. The great thing about products with your name on is that people will keep them where they can see them, so they remember you.
Do you want to grow your audience by creating content that speaks your customers’ language? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.
You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.
Marketing has two main goals. The first is to let potential customers know you exist, and the second is to show them how you help them (and that they can trust you) so they become customers. Of course, you need to grow your audience to achieve the first goal, but how do you do that? Where will you find all these new people who haven’t heard about you yet?
Here are a few of mine. If you have some of your own, let me know in the comments!
Your website
Your website can help you to grow your audience in loads of different ways. A good SEO strategy will help them find you on Google and learn about you or buy products from the comfort of their sofa. You can have a contact form so they can get in touch with you quickly or encourage them to sign up for your email list. Even if you aren’t ready to get into SEO, a website can act as a brochure where people who’ve found you elsewhere can check you out.
Social media
This is probably the first thing you think about when you’re trying to grow your audience. Social media can help you to reach people you might never meet in real life or someone who’s just up the road but hasn’t heard of you yet. This could happen because your existing followers share your posts or because each platform shows you new things that it thinks you’ll like.
You must think about what your audience needs, what platforms they spend time on and the content they’ll enjoy.
Networking
The idea of networking can strike fear into the heart of a new business owner, but it doesn’t have to be scary. It can give you a supportive community and new customers if you find the right group. Groups can vary immensely in their approach, so try out a few and see what you think.
The main disadvantage of networking is that it can be pretty time-consuming, but it can also be the fastest way to build a relationship. It can also have other benefits…
Referrals
Your network isn’t just the people you know; it’s also the people who know you. For example, you only have to dip into a community Facebook group to find someone looking for recommendations for a plumber or somewhere to get their nails done.
You could get a referral from an existing client or someone you met networking. That person you spoke to over coffee or in a Facebook group might not need your services but could end up chatting with someone who does.
The real world
How would you find new customers if every social media platform suddenly ceased to exist? I know that isn’t likely to happen, but I’ve seen plenty of people get hacked or banned and lose their business page. The reality is that you’d look to the real world. That could simply be networking or referrals. It could be making your shop front look inviting, so people walk in. Think about where your potential customers spend time offline, and you can expand your marketing horizons.
Do you want to grow your audience by creating content that speaks your customers’ language? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.
You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.
Understanding what your future customers need is an essential first step in creating effective marketing, but you guessed it, there’s more to it than that. Any marketing you create has to compete with umpteen other things. First, you need to learn about your audiences’ lives to understand what they are. Then you can talk to them like a human being, not just another faceless business.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
What will stop them from buying?
Overcoming buyer objections doesn’t mean you have to be a pushy salesperson. It just means that your marketing needs to answer the questions they already have. That could be explaining what you do and how you work, being clear about costs and answering as many potential questions as possible. Sometimes new customers need to do their research before they feel ready to decide.
What demands do they have on their time?
Understanding your audiences’ lives means knowing what they deal with every day. Do they work all day, then come home to cook the kids’ tea and get them to bed before they can sit down? Do they look at social media when they’re still half asleep in the morning? When might they get a minute to themselves? When you know that you can create content that they’ll enjoy and time your posts so your audience will see them.
Where do they spend their time?
It’s easy to focus on social media and which platforms your audience will use. That’s an integral part of your marketing but think about the real world too. For example, if you offer activities for kids or postnatal yoga, consider where the baby groups meet and whether they have a notice board. A co-working space could have room for leaflets that other businesses will see.
What do they value?
It can get disheartening when there’s a cost-of-living crisis, and everyone you know is talking about being skint. What’s the point in marketing when no one’s buying? The truth is that people will still spend money on the things they value. Ask yourself what’s important to your audience and how your product or service ties in with that, and then tell people about it.
What stage of life are they at?
Sometimes the things your audience value most relate to where they are in their lives. A student or someone looking for their first job has very different priorities from a newly retired person. Even if you sell to parents, their needs will change depending on whether they have a newborn or a teenager. That will influence what they care about and how you need to talk to them.
What do they expect from you?
My expectations of a business vary depending on who they are. If I buy from a small business that sells handmade goods, I don’t expect next-day delivery like I would from Amazon. Likewise, the level of professionalism your customers expect might change depending on the type of business they’re looking for. You can influence their expectations through the language you use in your marketing. This works incredibly well if you work in an industry with a stuffy reputation, like law or finance, and want to turn that on its head.
Do you want to create content that reflects your audiences’ lives and speaks your customers’ language? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.
You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.
Getting to know your audience is a fundamental part of marketing your business. When you understand what your audience needs, you can create marketing that speaks to them and lets them know you understand them. The alternative is bland marketing that doesn’t connect with anyone.
Here’s why you need to know what your audience needs and how it’ll help your business.
Products and services
Sometimes, the services you offer depend on your qualifications and experience. For example, you won’t get far without professional credentials if you provide legal advice or treat someone’s bad back. In other industries, there might be more than one way for you to help your customers. Understanding what your audience needs allows you to tailor what you offer.
A range of products and services will also cater to customers at different stages of the buyer’s journey.
The buyers’ journey
Every potential customer who comes across your marketing will be at a different stage of the buying journey. They might need what you offer but want to know more about you before parting with any cash. Maybe they aren’t sure what they need, or they have an idea but want to try a low-cost product or a DIY version of your service to test it out. But, on the other hand, they could find you and sign up immediately because you’re exactly what they’ve been looking for.
Creating different types of content lets you meet people at whichever stage they’re at.
Who needs your business most?
When you’re planning your marketing, it helps to think about the kind of people who need what you offer. For example, you’ll only need me if you have a business or create content for other companies. You’ll mainly talk to parents and grandparents if you sell baby clothes. Will your service be a great fit for someone who’s cash-rich but time-poor, or is it the opposite way around?
Technically, you could sell to anyone, but when you work out who is most likely to need what you offer, it’s easier to create content that hits the spot.
Who do you want to work with?
If you run a service-based business and work one-to-one with your clients, your life will be a lot less stressful if you get on with your customers. Of course, you might already have worked out what type of person is most likely to need what you offer, but you can still tailor your marketing to attract people you’ll enjoy working with.
For example, I mainly work with small business owners, and there are a lot of those about. I use relaxed language in my marketing but also mention my kids and my former career as a solicitor. It combines to attract people with the same approach to life as me.
How will they engage with you?
Finally, ask yourself what your audience needs to do to get in touch with you. Can they quickly buy your products when they finally sit down at the end of a busy day? Do they need to send you a message, email you or click a link to book an appointment? Thinking about how your customers spend their daily lives can help make it easier for them to buy from you.
Do you want to create content that speaks your customers’ language? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.
You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.
Mid-January: The time when traditionally, many of us have made New Year Resolutions to lose weight, get fitter, stop smoking or have a ‘dry’ January! By now, we’ve often ‘fallen off the wagon’ or decided categorically not to bother!
I don’t know about you, but personally, just the thought of the word ‘diet’ makes me want to reach for the biscuit tin! Or search for that leftover box of mince pies!
The question is, why do we feel the pressure to make a New Year’s Resolution?
Apparently, it’s all to do with the Babylonians! In ancient times, the Babylonians would make promises to the gods in the hope that they would earn good favour in the coming year. Thousands of years on, this worldwide tradition has continued into to 21st Century. Incredible!
New Year resolutions may work for some people, but for me, it’s a matter of reverse psychology; as soon as I’m told not to do something, it makes me want to do it even MORE! It simply doesn’t work!
However, as a Yoga practitioner of 30 years, I prefer a much more balanced approach, which absolutely works for me. It’s also something I use throughout the year, not just for January.
This approach involves making a Sankalpa.
Sankalpa is a Sanskrit term in yogic philosophy that refers to a heartfelt desire, an intention to do something. It tends to be an affirmation and comes from deep within. It’s slightly different to a resolution because unlike a personal goal to achieve something, a Sankalpa is a short positive affirmation or declaration such as “ I am happy and healthy” rather than “ I want to find happiness and get fitter”.
Examples of a Sankalpa may be:
“I AM healthy and strong.”
“I AM at peace within.”
“I AM enough.”
“I AM loving and kind.”
“ I AM happy and confident in all I do.”
The Sankalpa is a yogic tool we regularly use to help us focus on our innermost desires; it enables us to use personal power to bring our inner beliefs to fruition.
During Yoga Nidra, a state of deep relaxation or yogic sleep is when the Sankalpa is most resonant. It is believed that when the mind is relaxed, the Sankalpa can be absorbed by the subconscious.
Furthermore, in Yoga, we believe that whatever your Sankalpa is in life, it is sure to come true!
Maybe you’d like to try making your Sankalpa during a Yin and Nidra class?
To find out more and how Jane can help guide you in your Yoga journey, please take a peek at www.hathayogawithjane.com.
Jane Hathaway is an award-winning, Experienced Yoga Teacher (EYT) and Yoga Alliance Professional (YAP). She specialises in Trauma Resilience Embodied Yoga (TREY), Hatha and Yin Yoga and Pranayama.
You know your business inside out and back to front. It’s all so familiar that it can make you blind to the possibilities that your everyday, day-to-day business life can offer when it comes to creating content ideas. If you’ve ever struggled to come up with new ideas for your marketing, you might be surprised at how many are hiding in plain sight. Here are just a few.
Answer your FAQs
What questions do your customers ask all the time? If you’ve never written any of them down, start now and answer one at a time in your content. They work well because some people won’t contact you to ask a question, but they will Google it. You can give a short answer in social media posts and a longer one on your blog. If you have an FAQ page, start there or build one as you create more content.
Listen while you network
If you go to networking events, listen to what the other attendees talk about. What are their challenges, and how could you help? I love doing this at face-to-face events, where you might overhear other people’s conversations. I know my granny would disapprove of me eavesdropping, but it works.
Tips
Sharing tips can work in two different ways. Pro tips let you share your expertise and help your customers when they need to DIY a task, so you build trust. You can also make your existing customers feel looked after and appreciated by sharing a tip that helps them get the most out of their purchase.
Share your favourite resources
Sharing some of the resources you use every day has different benefits depending on who your customers are and how much experience they have. For example, a crafting business can help new learners by giving them a beginner’s guide, but you can also show more experienced crafters that you know what you’re talking about. If you offer a service, sharing professional resources lets your audience know that you take your work seriously.
Case studies
Case studies are brilliant because they tell your future customers about people you’ve worked with before and the results you’ve achieved. You can lift stories from your day-to-day life and use them in your marketing. Ideally, get permission from the subject before you write about them, but you can also write anonymised versions if that isn’t possible.
What can new customers expect?
This might seem ridiculously obvious, but good content can sometimes be as simple as describing what happens when your customer first contacts you or walks through your door. If someone isn’t contacting you because they’re nervous and don’t know what to expect, this kind of content can help to give them peace of mind.
How to find the right person
If there are lots of different businesses that do what you do, the choice can be overwhelming for a new customer. You can help them by talking about things to look out for or questions to ask at the first meeting. Use your insider knowledge to help your audience avoid common pitfalls, or let them know what credentials to look for, and they’ll start to trust you.
Do you want to develop new content ideas and create engaging marketing content? I can help with that. I create content that speaks your customers’ language. Book a call to find out how it works.
You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.
There comes the point in every small business owner’s life when you think you must have talked about your business from every possible angle. How can you come up with new content ideas when your audience has heard it all before? But, of course, you might be at the other end of the scale, trying to get started but wondering what your audience wants to hear about.
The good news is that there are many ways to develop new content ideas, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. So please read on for my five favourite ways to come up with new topics.
Have a brainstorm
I know that brainstorming sounds like your worst corporate nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. Just write down everything you can help your customers with, then break the significant subject areas into smaller topics. For me, writing about blogging can include topic ideas, structuring your content and writing tips. Each has its own more minor topic; the main thing to remember is that you don’t have to write War and Peace. Smaller nuggets of information are always more digestible.
Get new content ideas from social media
Spending time scrolling social media can be research if you do it right. If you’ve ever avoided posting something because you think it’s too obvious other people’s posts and the comments can help you to find the right level for your audience. Social media research lets you see what questions people are asking; you can comment with an answer and turn it into new content.
Ask the audience
Answering FAQs is a great way to create content, as you can share the answers on multiple platforms. If you’ve got an idea for a subject you’d like to cover but aren’t sure what your audience needs to know, ask them. Your questions can be new posts in themselves; they’ll also give you fresh content ideas to use later.
You can ask for help on your own channels and in groups to help you build your profile.
Update old posts
Updating old posts means you don’t have to develop a new idea from scratch. This is an excellent approach if the original topic is still relevant to your audience, but some of the advice has changed. You can create a new post to replace the old one or write a post supplementing the original content. This gives new followers information they won’t have seen before while also offering something fresh for people who’ve been with you for a while.
Think about what you’ve learned
Forgive me if you’ve heard this one before. All your content needs to be tailored to your future customer’s needs. This means that you only need to know more about your subject than they do. For example, you might already know you want to write a blog but not know how to get started, so that’s what I talk about. Think about what you’ve learned to get to this point and talk about that – it could be more than you think.
As we approach the end of another year, I paused to reflect on how much ‘being in community’ has helped me to grow emotionally and spiritually, and as a businesswoman.
But what do I mean by ‘being in community’? For me, it’s being an active member of a group that shares similar values. It’s being in spaces where I feel safe and have a sense of belonging. With lots of everyday demands and in the interest of self-care, I’ve had to be selective about how I spend my time.
Here are 5 questions I ask when choosing a community:
Do we share similar values?
If I’m investing time being involved in a group, it’s important that it’s about being supportive and celebrating each other. One of the things I’m most proud of when it comes to the Curvy Convo community that I created for plus-size women is how much we celebrate the achievements of our members Curvy Convo – Olivia Pitt. My ‘Keeping the Dream Alive’ coaching groups are perfect examples of this – check them out here: Group Coaching – Olivia Pitt. I also get that same experience in my early morning circuit classes. There’s no competition, just support and encouragement to give things a go.
What contribution could I make?
For me, it can’t be about just taking from the community. What could I bring to the table? What value could I add? My church community provides me with an opportunity to serve and lead, putting my skills, experience, and personality to good use. In networking groups, bringing joy has often been the most valuable contribution I could bring.
What could I learn?
Stepping into the role of being a businesswoman was alien to me after having been an employee for most of my working life. There were so many things I had to learn (and unlearn!), and I’ve been blessed to find a space in a business coaching group where I can be completely myself, unembarrassed about my lack of knowledge in some areas and fighting off impostor syndrome when it rears its ugly head.
How will it help me to grow?
I’ve been ‘doing life’ with other women of faith as a member of a mentoring group since 2014. This is where I learned about my identity and unique design. It helped me to understand myself a whole lot more than I ever did! I discovered that I am gifted in encouraging others. In the past two years, I’ve intentionally spent time with other women who share my gifting. This has helped me to confidently flow in my gifting, in complete alignment with my business as a Life Coach.
Can I really be myself?
In safe communities, I’ve allowed myself to be vulnerable and let my guard down so people can see beyond the smiles and laughter. I’ve shown up at times when I’ve felt broken, rejected, mentally drained, a failure. In virtual spaces, I’ve done the makeup-free, braless in PJs showing up as well – this all counts!
So, my question is, are you in community? You don’t have to navigate life on your own. You have nothing to prove. There’s so much to be gained by meaningfully connecting with others. As you enter a new year, maybe it’s time to consider who you could ‘do life’ with. You might be the missing piece of the puzzle that the group needs. Go for it!
One of my favourite things about my work is the chance to learn about the different ways that creative people work. I loved art at school, but I know that there are artists and designers out there that are far better at creating visuals than I am. Hand me a pen and a notebook, and I’m happy. I don’t panic in the face of a drawing pad and pencil, but I might not show the results to anyone. It makes me happy when I see work from people who can make stuff look beautiful.
This means that I was thrilled when I met Christina from Goldfinch Marketing. She creates gorgeous designs, and she’s also brilliant at techy stuff. It all comes together in beautiful websites that Google will love as much as your customers do. She’s also very good at writing; in fact, she’s so talented I would hate her if she wasn’t also lovely.
This may have you wondering why she’d need me, a writer when she’s already good at writing. Read on…
The pandemic
I met Christina during lockdown when everyone was virtual networking; some of us were home-schooling too. She’s based in Dorset, so the chances of us running into each other in person were virtually non-existent. Like many of us, Christina had taken some time during lockdown to evaluate her business and work out what she wanted to spend her time doing.
She’d started Goldfinch Marketing to help her clients with all their marketing needs, whether that was a new website, graphic design or content writing. Her review told her that she loved web design and graphics work but didn’t want to do content writing anymore. That’s where I came in.
The project
Christina had gradually reduced the amount of content writing she took on, but she still wrote blogs for one client. She told me they were lovely people she enjoyed working for and didn’t want to let them down. At the same time, she wanted to free up some time for other projects, so she wanted to see if I could take over writing a blog for them.
Of course I could. Writing their blog was right up my street; they’re a business offering a professional service, so they needed to share their expertise but didn’t want to be stuffy. I read the posts that Christina had already written to follow the same style and suggested some new topics. I also wrote social media edits for each blog post so that the individual paragraphs would work as standalone posts. The client was still happy, and Christina had time for other things.
If you need a new website, I recommend checking out Christina’s work here. Alternatively, if you want to outsource your content writing, either for yourself or one of your clients, let’s have a chat. You can book a call with me here.
Photo by Emma Bauso: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-wearing-black-boots-3585819/
Mary watched the fields flash past her window in a green blur as Sam steered the car along the narrow country road. They’d only just left the M1, but she already felt like they were in the middle of nowhere. Bliss. She flinched slightly as the branches of a dark green conifer clattered against the window. The sat nav announced their destination was half a mile on the left. Mary leaned forward in her seat, hoping to see the little house where they’d be spending the next three days.
She tried to forget how her mum had looked at her as they packed up to leave — disheartened and a little bit sad. Mary had known in advance that two days would be enough. Christmas Day with her parents and her younger sister was always fun, and she loved seeing the extended family on Boxing Day, but she knew Sam struggled. Her family’s Christmas centred around eating, drinking and watching TV, and Sam started to get cabin fever. They’d gone for a walk, but a stroll around a suburb was a long way from his childhood, spent climbing the Malvern hills whenever he got the chance.
Mary remembered her childhood Christmases when everyone had stayed together in her grandparent’s house from Christmas Eve until New Year’s Day. It had been heavenly when they were children, but now she wondered how the adults had managed to stay sane. Perhaps that was why her Dad and Uncle John had started drinking so early on Christmas morning.
Next year it would all be different.
…
“There it is!” Sam said, sounding as excited as a five-year-old. He indicated and turned off the narrow lane onto a block-paved drive. Mary sighed happily. The cottage was just as lovely as the photos suggested, with beautiful red bricks and fields stretching away into the distance. She turned to look at Sam, and her smile widened when she saw his face. He looked more relaxed than she’d seen him in months.
“It’s beautiful, Sam.” They climbed out of the car, and Mary stretched her arms upward, lowering them again to rub her back. “Oh, God.”
“What? You OK?”
“Yes, I’m just such a cliché. A little Weeble with an aching back.”
“You don’t look remotely like a Weeble. Much sexier.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Remind me of that when we’ve got a newborn, and I feel like I’m made out of rice pudding.”
Sam looked down and rubbed her belly. “It’s a strange thought, isn’t it? Next Christmas, we’ll have a ten-month-old crawling all over the place.”
“Yep. Weird. Anyway, let’s make the most of the peace and quiet and get inside.”
“Your wish is my command, oh Weeble-ish one.”
Mary laughed, reflecting that Sam was lucky she hadn’t picked up her handbag, or she might have walloped him with it. She watched as he took their suitcase out of the boot, opened the passenger door and retrieved her bag from the footwell. They definitely wouldn’t be able to travel this light next Christmas. She realised they’d have the perfect excuse to stay at home.
…
“They’ve left us some teabags and milk,” Sam called as Mary shut the front door behind her. She smiled at his unerring ability to find the kettle wherever they went and followed his voice into the kitchen, where he was already rummaging in cupboards looking for mugs. “I’ll take the case upstairs when we’ve had a cup of tea. What are you smiling at?”
“The fact that nothing starts without tea.”
“Quite right too.”
She wrapped him up in another hug, stroking his cheek as she kissed him.
“Do I need a shave?” he asked, feeling for stubble.
“Nah, you’re OK.” She groaned as he rubbed her back, then felt him hesitate. “Don’t worry, that was a good groan.”
“Did you see the pictures of the bathroom?”
“With the lovely slipper bath? Yes. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to a proper soak. The only problem is, you might have to hoist me out.”
Sam tried and failed to suppress the snigger. “Sorry. Tell you what, let’s have tea, and I’ll check whether I’ve got a signal in case we need to call the fire brigade.” He ducked away as she tried to slap him on the shoulder.
…
Mary followed Sam up the stairs as he carried the suitcase into the main bedroom. It was glorious, with a king-sized bed and views out over the fields to the woods beyond. The listing had said that there were 14 acres of land across the farm, and they were welcome to walk anywhere they liked. Sam had put the case down and was gazing out of the window. She told him that she was going to run a bath and headed across the landing to the bathroom. The smell hit her before she opened the door. She hesitated, half wanting to know what was behind the door and yet not feeling ready to face it. She realised she was standing completely still with her hand on the doorknob and felt faintly ridiculous. Eventually, she decided to stop dithering and turned the knob, pushing the door open in a single movement.
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen a dead body. She’d been there when Sam’s mum had died eighteen months ago when cancer that treatment had held at bay for three years had finally overtaken her. This was different. Emma had looked peaceful. This man’s life had clearly ended with violence. Even if the rope hadn’t been left, tied tightly around his neck, his face would have told her that. Mary had always thought that people who found dead bodies screamed, but she didn’t feel the need. She was shaking, transfixed by the man’s contorted face.
“Mary? Are you OK? Is anything wrong with the bath?”
She almost called back to tell him that, yes, there was a dead body in it. That made her feel ridiculous, and she giggled, clapping her hand to her mouth at the inappropriateness of it all. She turned and headed back to the bedroom. “Don’t go in there,” she said, “because there’s a dead man in the bath.”
“What? Are you kidding?” He turned to look at her and realised that she wasn’t. “God, you’re shaking.” He took hold of her and sat her down on the bed. “You’re sure he’s dead?”
Mary nodded. “We need to call the police.”
…
DI Fitzgerald and PC Jones had been impressively efficient, arriving within an hour of Sam’s call, shortly followed by a pathologist and two forensics staff. Mary sat on the sofa next to Sam as DI Fitzgerald asked her to tell him about her discovery. She’d been surprised at how easily the details came out; the smell, the position of the body and the cord around his neck. Fitzgerald had nodded encouragingly, watching her with his piercing blue eyes. She wondered what it would be like to be a suspect facing that searching look.
“That’s excellent, Mrs Collins, thank you. Can I ask, have you ever seen him before?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“What about you, Mr Collins?”
“I didn’t see the body. I’m a bit squeamish, to be honest.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a cough from the doorway. The pathologist had appeared and asked to speak to DI Fitzgerald. They disappeared into the hall, and when the police officer returned, he was smiling.
“I have some good news for you. We’re ready to remove the body. It looks like we might have a possible ID. You’ll be relieved to hear that I won’t be asking you to view the body, Mr Collins. Hopefully, you can both have a restful night, even if you don’t fancy a bath.”
Mary groaned, “I was looking forward to that.”
Fitzgerald smiled. “A warm bath was the only thing that helped my wife’s backache when we were expecting. The forensics officers have almost finished with the bathroom, so we’ll be out of your way shortly.”
…
Mary and Sam wished the departing officers a happy Christmas as the last cars pulled away from the house.
“Alone at last,” Sam said. “They were a lot quicker than I thought they’d be. Are you OK?”
Mary nodded. “I’m fine, and surprisingly hungry. What have we got for dinner?”
…
A large pizza, garlic bread and ice cream later, Mary lay back on the sofa, rubbing her belly. “I think the baby likes pizza; she’s kicking like mad.”
“Don’t you mean he?” Sam teased, sitting down next to her with a glass of red wine. “I’m sorry you didn’t get your bath.”
“I don’t mind. I’m just happy to be here, just the two of us.” She lifted her glass of elderflower fizz and clinked it against Sam’s. “Here’s to the next adventure.”
“Cheers,” Sam replied. His face creased with concern as they heard a knock at the door. “Who can that be? It’s pitch black out there.” He heaved himself off the sofa and put his glass on the table.
Mary felt a shiver go through her. She felt that something wasn’t right, and got up and followed him, reaching the door just as he opened it.
“Mr and Mrs Collins? I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to get to you. It’s been a busy night.”
The two police officers extended their warrant cards into the light.
