As copywriters, we all know that SEO is integral in positioning your clients’ companies as industry leaders. This requires us to stay on top of the most recent developments in SEO
techniques.

The following list is by no means exhaustive, but following these thought leaders will certainly keep you in-the-know.

Search Engine Land

Distilled

Hubspot

Marketing Experiments

Marketing Land

Matt Cutts

SEO.com

Search Engine Watch

Search Engine Journal

Search Engine Roundtable

To ensure your clients get found and maintain an edge, copywriters must embrace SEO.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now I have two other colleagues who are in the market for apartments.  Guess which brokers I’m not reaching out to. Why?  Because if you are unresponsive with new business, what are you going to be like if my friends become your clients. You are certainly not someone I want to recommend to my contacts. If there is one thing prospective customers will not tolerate, if they can help it, it’s nonresponsive professionals.

Unless there is some circumstance beyond your control (e.g., Hurricane Sandy, a blackout, a dire family emergency), there is a never a reason not to return a prospective customer’s inquiry within 24 hours.  For all you know, they could be your next anchor client. They could be the seriously connected business resource you need. Granted, there are many ways to lose prospects, but this recent incident brought the following five to mind.

1.  Respond to a prospect’s call or email when you are good and ready. Chances are, your prospect will have already hooked up with your competition.

2.  Give prospects only one way to reach you. If a potential customer is an emailer and you only have a phone number, this could be a deal breaker.

3.  Commit to meeting a prospect and rely on your memory about the date, time and place of your meeting. If you’re dying to make your client look like they are not a priority, try calling the customer and asking them to remind you of details of your upcoming appointment with them.

4.  Don’t take notes during your first meeting, so that you have to ask questions you should already have the answers to at your second meeting. This is a sure-fire way for prospects to immediately lose confidence in your services. They will walk away worrying about “what if?”

5.  Tell the potential client you are going to do something and then don’t follow through. Be prepared to spend lot of time doing ongoing damage control if this is your standard way of practicing.

Trust is huge in establishing and growing your business. Being responsible is a big part of the trust factor.  Even if you know you can’t help that person, ignoring them could hurt your business; in fact, it does hurt your business reputation.   Consistently commit to your business. If not, you won’t be in business for very long.

Stacey

Image courtesy of Aleska D FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Your level of writing success has a lot to do with how your readers react to your copy.  People connect with the product or service because they relate to what you’re saying to them.  They want to feel that your copy is specifically crafted with their interests and needs in mind.  In other words, it should feel personal. Following are three ways to help your readers identify  and connect with your message:

1. Before You Write, Get to Know Yourself First.

When you understand who you are,  your writing is more inclined to genuinely fuse with the product’s message. When you are an unsure writer, it’s harder to trust your own belief in the message you are writing about the product. You can create a stronger and more compelling message if you start with you first, then tackle the project.  It’s easier to bring out the brand when you know yourself. Your confidence comes through your writing making your copy more engaging because your insecurities aren’t getting in the way of the flow of the message.

2. Don’t Be Something You’re Not. Be You.

Many writers make the mistake of trying to be something or someone they admire.  It’s okay if someone’s influence shows through your writing. However, because it’s not your authentic voice, when writers blatantly and repeatedly attempt to mimic the voice of another, it sounds scripted and unnatural.

Every writer has his or her own signature rhythm, traits and mannerisms.  Yes, that includes you.  Find and leverage your own self-expression.  Success is easier to repeat when you already own its source and it’s not borrowed from somebody else. I’ll add that, in the quest to find your own voice, it’s okay to emulate someone you admire when you start out, but don’t try to be them.

3. Speak to Your Readers Through Your Writing

Imagine that your reader is a personal friend of yours and that you are engaged in a real conversation. What would you tell her about the product or service?  Explain its benefits in the same way do when you are trying to convince a reasonably intelligent friend to make a purchase of a particular item. You want the flow of information to feel and sound real.

Know their problem. Empathize with them. What are they likely to be thinking. What are they likely to want or need from this product or service. Find that hook.

I’m sure you have a checklist of your own and you’re ahead of the game if you do.  But, if you don’t, once your copy is written, at the very least, before turning it in, check to see that you’ve got these three keys covered.

Stacey

]]> http://staceythewriter.com/2941/hey-copywriters-connect-with-the-folks-reading-your-copy-be-real-be-personal-be-you/feed/ 5 http://staceythewriter.com/2920/heres-a-copywriters-quickie-25-unsung-but-important-copywriting-tips-all-copywriters-can-use/ http://staceythewriter.com/2920/heres-a-copywriters-quickie-25-unsung-but-important-copywriting-tips-all-copywriters-can-use/#comments Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:18:34 +0000 Stacey Mathis http://staceythewriter.com/?p=2920

Most copywriters, even newbies, know there are fundamental rules when you sit down to write copy, like – use headlines, include benefits and remember to add a P.S.

Below are some other rules (borrowed from that magnanimous message board – Warrior Forum) that veteran copywriters routinely include in their copy:

1. Any big statements you make must be backed up by proof or credibility.
2. Include as many (well-written) testimonials and case studies as you can.
3. Explain why you’re making the offer.
4. Give the reader multiple chances to take action.
5. Find out how the target market talks to each other - then use their language.
6. Address all potential objections.
7. The goal of the first few lines is ONLY to get the reader to read the next line, then the next, then the next, then the… etc.
8. Decide on exactly what you want the reader to do and slowly guide them towards it.
9. Use emotional words as often as you can.
10. Tell seductive stories throughout the copy.
11. Get the reader to nod “yes” to your copy, especially at the
    beginning.
12. Use supporting images, not attention grabbing images (the focus should be on the content, not the images)
13. Keep sales page narrow and not too wide.
14. Don’t concentrate on keywords only, and apply them where they BEST fit. Fit the keywords into the copy, not the copy into the keywords.
15. After it’s all over and done with, ask yourself, “so what?”
16. Create a buyers environment.
17. Use good justification techniques, especially if a higher priced item, product or service.
18. Make the first sentence extremely short.
19. Anticipate questions in advance and answer them directly.
20. Create gravity pulling, slippery sales copy that virtually compels the reader to slide right into the direct call to action…
21. No. Humor does not sell.
22. Johnson boxes. Use them.
23. Always give away as many bonuses as you can. People will often buy just for these.
24. Try using “action elements” like check boxes, fields, and text area’s for the user to take part in the sales letter.
25. No yellow on white or black on dark grey text. You must have contrast to be able to read text.

So, did you run your copy through this list?  Now, do you still need help?  Then put on your thick skin (‘cause you’re going to need it) and pop on over to warriorforum.com for a critique of your copywriting piece.

Good luck!

Blogging is serious in a world where content reigns supreme. Companies stake their reputations and their customers on the strength of their content. It’s easy to make mistakes, and some of them are more common than others. Do you make any of these three common blogging mistakes?

Image Courtesy of Arztsamui/freedigitalphoto.net

1. Making Your Blog Posts Too Dense

Less than a quarter of blog readers read word by word. The vast majority will skim through an article, pulling out the relevant points and skipping the other content. This means you need to keep your blocks of content short to avoid losing your readers.

• Use bulleted or numbered lists to keep your content organized, especially so the promise (i.e., the hook) stand out
• Bold important terms or key sentences so the eye can pick them out easily
• Avoid words the reader might not understand, unless you’re writing about something technical

 2.  Trying to Push Sales Through Blog Posts

Your blog is for content, lead generation, passive information and SEO relevancy. It is not a sales pitch. If your readers feel like they’re being sold something, they’ll back off. They don’t like being the subject of a pitch.

The purpose of your blog is to establish your business as an authority in your area. This means you’re using it to post relevant information your readers will find useful.  In essence, you become a trust agent. Once you’re an authority, the readers will come to you when they want a product you offer. They trust you with their money and their information. If you spend too much effort trying to sell, you don’t build up that trust.

A good way to avoid this is to look at what the other industry blogs are writing about, and make sure you have that information on your site. Users want to read real reviews, product specs, and what to look for in a product – not just all about what makes yours so great. If you try to be unbiased and informative, you’re more likely to have a blog reader convert into a sale than if you try to shove a promotional piece in front of them.

If you really want to convert from blog posts, try encouraging readers to reach out to you with any questions. Sometimes just knowing there is a real person on the other end of the computer helps reassure the potential client that they are buying from a genuine business who truly cares about its customers.

3. Not Using Images in Your Blog Posts

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. When you’re trying to save space, cut down on unnecessary words and still make a detailed point, a picture is an ideal inclusion. Having one or two pictures to accompany a 700-word blog post is ideal. The key is using them in a way that strongly ties in with your blog post itself.

You have to be careful with the images you choose. Don’t simply search for an image online, download it, post it and think you’re in the clear. Most images online are owned by someone, and that someone can file copyright claims if they didn’t give you permission. The way around this is to: create your own images; search for creative commons images; or pay someone for the use of theirs.

In terms of pricing usability and selection, here are a few of the better royalty-free stock photography sites:

istockphoto.com

Dreamstime.com

Freedigitalphotos.net

Fotolia

123RoyaltyFree

BigStockPhoto

4. Publishing without Promoting

There was an old saying in SEO, “if you build it, they will come.”  Because of the boom in social media, this is no longer true. People want you to come to them. This is why Facebook advertising is so effective – because then you are getting in front of your audience without them having to search for you and dig through your site for what the information they want.

If you publish without having social sharing buttons such as Facebook or Twitter, or if you publish without promoting your post on Google+ and other social media sites, you are missing a huge opportunity to reach out and connect regularly with your target market.  And you are forfeiting an opportunity for others to share your content with their contacts.

Avoiding these four mistakes puts you a long way towards running a successful blog. Keep up a constant flow of content and you can establish your company in no time.

Aubrey Phelps is a writer for Nethosting. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family and pets.

Image courtesy of Anankkml/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Being a freelance copywriter is a great way to make a decent income.  A lot of people choose this line of work because it allows them to make their own hours and they get to determine how much money they make each week or even each day. However, and this is a big “however,” in the world of freelancing, particularly online, you’ll need to know how to protect yourself from being taken advantage of.  This is because there are any number of scams out there, not to mention, dishonest people who may try to get you to work on projects, meanwhile they have no intention of paying you.

Newbie or not, I’m quite sure you’ve read other freelancers’ rants about difficulties in getting paid from problem clients.  You may have even had one or two of these challenging situations yourself.

You’ll need to make sure that you always protect yourself so that you have a nice, steady income and a great experience as a freelance copywriter.

Fortunately, there are measures you can take to keep folks from cheating you. If you apply the following tips you’ll have a much greater chance of assuring that your fees are protected and that you are not scammed out of your money.

1. Find Out About Your Client Before You Meet

Look the prospect up before you agree to work with them and before you discuss the assignment with them.  Your findings may help you develop more pointed questions that will serve to safeguard you and your fees in the end.

There are countless, simple ways to research a client, but be creative in your search for information on them. A few quick ways to do a makeshift, but effective “background” check are as follows:

1. If  this client finds you in an online forum, make sure that you check their feedback score (if any).
2. If this client finds you on an online staffing platform (e.g., Elance.com), check out the comments made by previous contractors. Make sure there are no  listed problems with that client. Also make sure that you check into the feedback that your potential client has left.  If they show a history of leaving a bunch of negative comments, be wary of that client. It may signify that he or she is impossible to please.
3. Enter the client’s email address in a popular search engine and scan the results. If that email has ever been associated with a scam, it may be listed in your search results.
4. Take twenty or thirty minutes to plug their name or their website URL in The Better Business Bureau’s website, and look them up on Yelp, Angie’s List, SiteJabber, TripAdvisor and the like.

2. Protect Yourself By Using Written Contracts

Another great tip to staying safe and making sure you get the money you earned is to always use a contract. Using a contract/written agreement/quotation agreement can help assure you are paid upon completion of your work. If you do not have a contract, you will not be well-protected and you’ll undermine any leverage you otherwise would have had.

If the client gives you a hard time about signing the contract or starts “nickling and diming” you on more than one provision in the agreement, this may be a sign that there will be more issues and stress ahead. It’s probably best to not work with that person.

3. Get a Down-Payment Before You Start the Job

Making sure that you are getting paid is key when doing freelance copywriting work or any type of freelance work. Many writers require that clients leave an initial deposit, and you should too. This deposit assures the client that you will provide the copywriting work, and it helps to assure you that the client will pay for the work. The deposit you require should reflect the amount of work you will be doing. For larger jobs you will need to require a larger deposit and for smaller jobs you can require less.  Having the deposit will help to ease your fears about not being paid and will help to develop a trusting relationship between you and the client.

4. Make It Simple for Clients to Pay for Your Services

When Mr. Pain-in-the-A says, “I only have a debit card,” you want to be able to say, “That’s fine. I take wire transfers, and there will be a fee of $___ dollars for that transaction.”

If Ms. Bothersome says, “I can only pay by credit card,” you want to be able to say, “That’s fine. I have Intuit or Paypal, so you are more than welcome to pay by credit card.”

Of course, in order to do this, you’ll have to set these program up.  Luckily, these payment services are user-friendly, and there’s always customer service (with real live agents) available to help you if you have a problem. Today, many, if not most, banks offer merchant services for small business owners (including freelancers). These services allow us to accept a whole host of credit, debit, wire and mobile payment methods the same way the larger establishments do.

Conclusion

Set and hold to milestones when you are working on someone’s project, especially if it’s a multi-tiered one. Always send a sample to the client before you begin so that you can make sure he or she is satisfied with your work.  Stay in constant contact with the client and confirm that you understand his or her wants by repeating it back to them and getting that nod, preferably the electronic nod – via EMAIL.   The more you and the client are in synch, the more promising your experience is likely to be.

If you do end up with a problem client you will at first need to be patient. In the beginning, if you cannot work things out, it is advised that you cancel the job with the client before things get too complicated. If you have already turned in work, try your best to work with the client and see what you can do to improve the work or meet his or her needs by some other mutually satisfactory means.

Your business as a freelance copywriter can be greatly protected by these simple steps. Remember to follow your instincts, and if a job or a client does not feel right, move on to another job.  Require a contract and make sure that you get a deposit before beginning the job. Lastly, create that “paper” trail. If you’re a straight shooter, it’s always to your personal and legal advantage to have a paper trail, even if it’s email only.  Sometimes a financial dispute can very easily be resolved by reminding and showing your client that on X date, you did Y, just as she requested in her email.

About the Author:Stacey Mathis is founder and president of Stacey Mathis Copywriting.  Get more from Stacey on Twitter and Linkedin.com.

Image courtesy of Jeroen van Oostrom/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Back in October, I wrote an extensive post about starting a freelance business out on the right foot and, among other helpful nuggets, I included the following tip:

Contracts

Unless you are crafting a flyer for your grandmother’s church picnic, use a contract. An elaborate contract is the safest bet, but a simple contract can work also, provided all of your bases are covered. Heck, if her church has a board of directors, you may want to use a contract for that church picnic flyer too. Nothing personal grandma! At the very least, your contract or agreement should contain:

♦the date of the agreement;

♦your name and address, the name and address of the business hiring you and the signer’s name;

♦a detailed description of the project, including the medium and format of the work;

♦the number of pages, if it’s a print document;

♦the various parts and stages of the project;

♦the number of edits and revisions you will allow;

♦the dates of delivery for each stage of the project, if more than one stage;

♦your fee and its due date(s);

♦a list of terms and conditions; and

♦both parties’ signatures.

In that vein, recently, I discovered that our friends over at freelancersunion.org have a complimentary tool for freelancers to easily and quickly create contracts for their businesses. I’d advise you guys to check it out. I used it myself last night just to test it before letting my newsletter subscribers in on the tool. I wanted to make sure it worked smoothly. Lo and behold, it worked perfectly! Check it out here.

“A lean agreement is better than a fat judgment” – Proverb Quotes

]]> http://staceythewriter.com/2689/instantly-make-a-custom-contract-for-your-freelance-business-at-no-cost-to-you/feed/ 11 http://staceythewriter.com/2655/want-to-create-a-winning-e-mail-marketing-campaign-make-sure-you-grasp-the-basics-of-email-marketing-first/ http://staceythewriter.com/2655/want-to-create-a-winning-e-mail-marketing-campaign-make-sure-you-grasp-the-basics-of-email-marketing-first/#comments Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:11:21 +0000 Stacey Mathis http://staceythewriter.com/?p=2655 Seventy-seven percent of small business owners report that e-mail marketing increased their revenue and that $1.00 spent on e-mail marketing $40.00 in revenue.* Many businesses are smartly discovering that e-mail marketing can be a vital part of their business.  It’s a great way to keep in touch with customers and to invite them to special deals for your freelance services (or products, if you have any). The information and tips in this article will explain some of the practices you should engage in or avoid to ensure the success of an ongoing e-mail campaign.

1. Rather than purchasing or renting a mailing list, build your own from the ground up. You can do this by including opt-in forms on your website or blog, gathering business cards at conventions or other industry events, and encouraging your subscribers to share your e-mails with others, which can garner even more subscribers. Of course, I would suggest creating a downloadable piece of content, preferably with instructional information that your target audience will find of value to them. The idea is to trade your free content for their e-mail addresses.

2.  Always get permission! Unsolicited e-mail is not welcome, and in certain cases, can get your ISP blocked. The last thing you want is to be branded a spammer.

3.  Be especially careful when crafting your first three e-mails to new customers. A new customer should get an introductory e-mail inviting them to join your marketing list. Once they accept your invitation, the next e-mail should tell them about discounts or special offers they can expect to get now that they’ve signed up. The third e-mail should contain their first newsletter and their special offer.

4.  Make certain that it is easy for your recipients to opt out of receiving further e-mails. Not having a way to opt out can cost you customers since some of the people who wish to opt out might like your business and your products. They may simply wish not to receive e-mails. The process that you put in place should include asking for feedback as to why they are opting out. The information you receive can help improve your campaign.

5.  Try to make it as easy as possible for customers to unsubscribe from your e-mails. By not making it simple, they will feel like you are being too pushy and may be turned off from your product or business. Give them the option to opt out from some of your e-mails or all of them.

6.  Everyone knows that e-mail filters are getting more and more strict. Graphics and other things included in e-mails are blocked out, so a reader might not even see what you are trying to say. Therefore, a good piece of advice is to use plain text with a hyperlink to your site.

7.  Utilize engaging e-mails and target customers who are inclined to use or share knowledge about your services. Make sure you are also soliciting feedback from them. Getting feedback from targeted customers is key to knowing what you can do to make your marketing strategies even stronger and more effective.

8.  What worked for you before might not work for you the next time around. That is why it is vital to always look into new e-mail marketing strategies. Learn from others in your business niche, and always try out new methods to add to your arsenal of what works for your business.

It is a well-known fact that the use of the Internet has opened up an entirely new way for businesses to interact with customers. E-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with loyal customers and to reach potential customers. Use the techniques and tips from the article above to create an e-mail marketing strategy for your business.

*Aweber Communications

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