The Confident Copywriter

If you’ve ever sought work on job boards like “Elance”, you might have noticed a strange phenomenon: there are people on those job boards pretending to be writers! And getting away with it!

Ok…we can’t stop clients from buying articles from providers who willingly charge $1 for 500 words. But there are plenty of things we can do to improve our own writing.

These five points are so obvious, they’ll make you cringe. But I’ve seen writers make these mistakes. Embarrassingly, I’ve actually made a few of them myself. They bear repeating.

1. Misspelling your own name
It happens. It’s just as bad when you misspell the customer’s or company’s names. Misspells send the message: “I’m sloppy. I lack attention to detail. I don’t care.”

2. Relying on SpellChecker
This handy tool is great, but not always. Use “too” instead of ‘to’ and spellchecker may not catch it. Miss a word that changes the entire meaning of the sentence and you might be in trouble. Spellchecker definitely won’t help you put together proper sentences. (Like this real headline: “Progress Slow in Beating Death.”) Little mistakes like these can add up and chase the customer away.

Not worried about losing one customer? How about the hundreds of potential referrals you might lose over the life of your career? There’s something to worry about.

3. The Use of Slang
Are you using slang without realizing it? Slang is part of our everyday culture, but slang is wrong for your client’s project. For example:

• They all agreed the movie was bad. (intense)
• The little town was the armpit of America. (undesirable)
• He was beat after working hard all day. (tired)
• She drove off the lot in a new Beemer. (BMW)

These slang terms are fine for a novel, but not appropriate for business writing.

4. The Beauty of Word Economy
“I think I’m qualified for this position because of the fact that I am able to write well.” Oy. Let’s apply a little word economy: “My advanced writing skills qualify me for this position.”

Dump phrases like “because of the fact”, “I am able to”, “in order to”, “in regards to”. Check, edit, check and edit again to ensure your document is tight. Get help from someone more experienced if necessary.

5. Sentences That Are So Long, the Reader Doesn’t Remember What You Were Talking About in the First Place, So They Just Skip Ahead to Something Else and, Before You Know It, You’re Scratching Your Head and Wondering Why Your Phone Isn’t Ringing.

Enough said.

Your thoughts?

If I had a dollar (inflation, people) for every time someone asked me how I manage to keep up with all my writing…well, let’s just say I’d be doing a lot less writing!

One area that causes consternation is blogging. Since you’re here, it’s a good place to start.

How do I keep up with the relentless pace of creating valuable content 3-5 times a week? And what happens as my blogdom grows? (My new blog, CopyVirgin, will be available in March. If you can’t tell who I’m targeting, drop me a line and we’ll discuss it. )

Here are some tips to get you going:

Pay Attention

Did you make New Year’s resolutions? Are you still keeping them? If so, you’re the exception to the rule. Like dieting, losing weight, exercising, quitting smoking…blogging requires commitment and attention. Don’t relegate it to the back burner. Schedule it as if a client is paying you for it.

When you stop posting as frequently, the search engines lose interest. So do all of those great groups you’ve worked so hard to attract. If necessary, trade services with another writer who can post content for you, or pay a professional blog writer to get you over the hump (last resort).

Get Organized!

To blog regularly, you’ve got to make time for it. Solving this challenge requires organization, a plan. You schedule your time to meet client deadlines, don’t you? Plan your blogging time. Set aside 30 minutes a day, or 2 hours once a week, or Saturday mornings…whatever works for you. This is Blog Time and nothing and no one is going to get in your way.

Bring the Inspiration to You

Often, the problem isn’t your ability to write. The problem is, “I don’t know what to write about.” I suggest creating a document called Blog Ideas. Keep it on your desktop. As blog ideas pop into your head, jump over and jot them down before the phone rings or the kids interrupt and you forget. Then, when it’s Blog Time, the ideas are already there.

Google Alerts are another neat little trick – simply type in your chosen keywords. I typed in ‘copywriting’, ‘freelance writers’, etc. as well as the names of companies I want to follow. Don’t forget to follow your own name – you’ll be surprised where you pop up! Google Alerts will send information matching your keywords straight to your inbox, hot off the press. Voila! Instant inspiration!

Don’t Give Up!

There will be times when you feel pressured, just don’t feel like it, or something else needs your attention. That’s business, isn’t it? But it’s no excuse to give up. Like the dieter who gives in to chocolate cake, no good can come from skipping a scheduled blog post. If you miss a post, get back on track for the next one. Be disciplined and reap the rewards!

Have blogging tips of your own? Please share!

No matter how much you love your freelance writing job, there are times when you will feel bored. Disinterested. Seriously considering a quick nap.

Mom was right. “If you’re bored, you must be boring”, she would say.

Working in virtual isolation at our computers day in and day out, it’s no wonder things get a bit boring. But giving in to boredom is how the trouble starts.

How to avoid diving for the covers, missing a deadline because boredom sent you shopping…or worse, turning in uninspired copy?

Susan Cramm, writing on the Harvard Business Review blog, agrees with Mom. She says you might be the reason your job is boring. Susan encourages checking yourself on these points:

1. Are you on autopilot? Repetitive tasks, or tasks that go on for too long, can put your brain to sleep – what we often call ‘autopilot’. While the task may seem easier, you’re less interested and engaged and, therefore, bored.

My suggestion: When you go to your desk tomorrow, shake things up a little. Do routine tasks in a different order. Work on a project instead of opening your email right away. Drink herbal tea instead of coffee. Repeat the mantra, “Today is going to be different.”

2. How’s your energy level? It takes more energy to be bored. When your brain is busy, you don’t think about it. You feel energized by the task and fully locked in. Low energy levels make work more tedious, affecting focus and, ultimately, success.

My suggestion: Watch those carbs and get up from your desk regularly. Walk around, drink water, make a phone call. Stare out the window. Energize yourself!

3. Have you gotten lazy? Letting little things slide, rather than focusing on potential improvements, makes life boring. Stay interested by keeping your brain engaged. Seek ways to keep your mind occupied and stimulated. Take time to network and talk with your freelance writing peers.

My suggestion: Challenge yourself! Accept a project that is just a bit outside your comfort zone. Volunteer for something new. Help someone just because. Dive into a new book about writing. Join The Copywriters Business Network!

How do you conquer freelance writing boredom?

If you’ve been trying to get in on the conversation on Facebook or Twitter, but you’re left feeling like a wallflower at the prom, welcome to the club.

Social media is no fad (as many once thought). It’s here to stay, and must be integrated into any current or future marketing plan…yes, even for copywriters. Especially for copywriters! You don’t have to become an addict; just proficient enough to use and benefit from these revolutionary marketing tools.

Social media is a proactive opportunity to be in the right place at the right time…when someone needs YOU.

Think of it like this: Your neighbor invites you next door for a party. As you walk in the door, you see hundreds of other guests. They are clustered around in groups, heads together, talking quietly about something seemingly important. You murmur hello and scurry to find the host. You ask her, “What’s everyone buzzing about?” She responds, “Everyone in that room is a business owner. They all have the same problem…finding a qualified, professional writer. That’s why I invited you!”

I want to go to that party!

Social media networking offers the unprecedented opportunity for one lone person to begin personal and professional friendships…which lead to provocative threads of conversation….which lead to creating resources and individual networks…which lead to in-depth exchanges…that eventually lead to building off- and online communities…which can achieve big goals: increased profits, an impact on the greater good, worldwide attention for your favorite cause, etc…the likes of which has never before been available without a huge advertising budget.

When combined with other hot tools, like podcasts, videos, ‘meetups’, or a newsletter, the results can be even more astounding.

The value of social media is not profits. I can hear you analytical types right now, wondering how ROI can be measured from these efforts. The value of social media is “goodwill”…and the camaraderie that, since the dawn of man, has formed the real foundation for success. The profits come later.

Social media is the golf course of the 21st century. And you never get rained out.

Yesterday, a prospect emailed me and asked, “Can you send me your pricing package?”

I’ve been asked this question before. The prospect might ask for a ‘rate sheet’, or ‘ballpark fees’, or use any number of expressions which all translate to, “How much is this gonna cost me?”

I know it goes against the grain a bit, but my prices are in my head. I’ve always meant to create a rate sheet, but it’s never gotten done. After more than four years and hundreds of projects, I can usually determine the basics in the first few minutes of a conversation with the prospect; the rest is mostly window dressing and relationship building. I suppose I ‘customize’ the fees for each project. As those of you with experience already know, this takes practice.

Whenever I’ve attempted to provide set prices or bundled fees, it hasn’t worked out very well. So I stopped doing it. There are simply too many variables with each project.

So, how to answer this question gracefully and keep the client on the hook?

First, don’t panic! The client may pressure you to spout rates on the spot. Say something like, “Let’s talk more about your needs, so I can quote my best fees.” Divert the prospect, get more information and offer a written quote to be delivered the next day, or within a time period that works for you. (And then don’t forget to do it!)

This not only gives you time and silence to think clearly about project parameters, but it is a professional approach. The client who insists on knowing the cost upfront…without any discussion of needs…who ‘doesn’t have time’ to answer your questions… is not the client for you. Walk away.

This is not to say you shouldn’t develop a price schedule if you’re comfortable with it. Perhaps also consider bundling together services to ‘upsell’ the client. For example, customers requesting website copy often want articles too. The customer requesting a sales letter may also need a series of autoresponders. And so forth.

Create package pricing by bundling together services that logically go together. Consider discounting the package price slightly to encourage sales.

Whatever you decide to do, always do what works for you…based on your current skills, your market, and your future plans for growth. Certainly you don’t want to offer packages that include services you’re not familiar with, or quote rates that make you uncomfortable for any reason. You want a happy customer, but not at your own expense!

Do you use a fee schedule, or are you more like me, keeping rates in your head and customizing the cost for each project?

Two days ago, I received an email about the latest Google toy, Google Buzz. I don’t know why I received it, but it looked interesting. So I tucked it away for a rainy day.

Yesterday, I caught a business report on the radio. The host was discussing a new group of Outlook features, collectively titled Outlook Social Connector.

Seems a trend is gearing up, so I thought we’d discuss it.

As I read the email and listened to the radio ad, my first thought was , “How can these tools help time-ravaged copywriters?”

Or can they?

Google Buzz

Google Buzz integrates with gmail, for easier connecting to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. The website states, “Used on a PC or mobile, Buzz reminds us of an RSS combined with all of your social networking—all within the existing Gmail and Google.com infrastructure.”

Google Buzz has 5 main features:

1. Friends you’ve emailed via gmail are automatically added. (Hey! Just like my Droid! Oh, wait. I’m not crazy about that feature.)
2. Integrated full-size photo sharing via “Rich fast sharing”
3. Swaps between friends and family, publicly or privately
4. Dynamic updates, reducing individual notifications
5. An intelligent interface: it connects you to friends of friends, then ‘learns’ your preferences over time

Unfortunately, Google Buzz got off to a rocky start. Inbox spamming and privacy issues smeared the product launch. Despite an apology from Todd Jackson, Buzz product manager, time will tell if Buzz lives up to its name.

Outlook Social Connector

Outlook Social Connector makes it easier to connect to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook via your email inbox, so you can “keep track of your friends and colleagues” while growing your professional network.

I hear an echo.

Rather than interfacing through gmail, though, Social Connector is currently available in Microsoft Office 2010 Beta.
“OSC”, as the tool has officially been dubbed, offer a minimum of 14 features…far too many to list here. Feel free to check them all out.

Interestingly, the website offers a LinkedIn provider to Outlook 2010 users. Now that might be worth looking into.

Apparently, both tools (and who knows how many clones to follow), are engineered to save us time and make our lives ‘easier.’

I’m not yet convinced. I still have days when I want to smash my PC with a big hammer and go back to pen and paper.

What do you think? Are these advancements, or just additional time-suckers to clutter up our overloaded inboxes?

RainToday’s 2009 Benchmark Report, How Clients Buy, is full of great statistics, data and reliable information. HubSpot just published a chart excerpted from this report, “Top 10 Ways Buyers Find Service Providers.”

I thought it was important to share it with you.

Why? Well…because you’re a service provider. And because you’ve told me marketing, or the lack thereof, is #4 on your list of top 5 copywriter challenges…which makes it important to all of us.

In our quest to find more work, find better quality work, set pricing, and manage our time (the other 4 top challenges) it makes sense to understand how people seek products and services, and how these patterns affect your own marketing plans.

You do have a plan, right?

Here’s the chart:

I’m surprised that ‘website’ and ‘Internet search’ nearly fell into the bottom half. Does that surprise you too?

But wait! Check out #1: “Referrals from colleagues.”

Wow. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

Just one more reason why ‘staying connected’, be it thru social media networks, in-person meetings, phone calls, or the good ol’ postal mail, is more important than ever.

Of course, social networks are all the rage…including the network I founded exclusively for copywriters, The Copywriters Business Network. More pop up every day.

Regardless, it pays to stay in touch.

What surprises you about these findings? How will you integrate these findings into your own marketing? Does it seem websites are becoming less important as a marketing tool, or is it just that there are so many other choices these day?

You are in the midst of purchasing an item online. Before you hit submit, a box pops up…“Buying ABC today? Get XYZ at a huge discount!”

You are buying athletic shoes at a department store. The salesperson suggests a cleaner “made especially for this type of shoe.”

You are ordering a meal at a restaurant. The waitress asks, “How about a soup or salad with your meal?”

You’re at a fast food counter. The kid with yellow arches on his hat says, “You want fries with that?’

These are examples of ‘upselling’, a soft approach to helping clients enjoy greater value from your products and services, while increasing the dollar amount of each purchase.

Have you ever considered applying upselling techniques to your own freelance writing business? If not, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to serve your customers well and increase your revenue…all without even breaking a sweat.

Here are a few ways to incorporate upselling:

Sell your client on a new product or service. People want to buy…you just have to give them a reason. Your client asks for articles? Tell him you can help put some sizzle in his website copy too.

Sell an enhanced version of a product or service. “Mr. Client, after I create your new content, I’ll edit it to perfection. It will be all ready for you to use. And the additional cost is nominal…”

Sell the same service, but in a different area. Normally, your client orders website copy. Then you discover another department handles the web copy for a different website the company owns. You’ve just uncovered a whole new department to sell to!

Bundle your services with discounted pricing. Sell similar services together…articles and website copy, for example; or a sales letter and a ‘free’ report. Then discount the total cost slightly. Everyone loves a deal!

BOGO. Choose several key times during the year to put your services “On Sale”. The “BOGO” concept (Buy One Get One Free) or the “Half Off” concept (Buy One, Get the 2nd Half Off) both work well. I’ve used them; my coaching students have used them…clients begin to save up projects, so when the deal comes around, they’ve got lots for you to do!

Meet your clients in person. As copywriters, we work in virtual worlds. Occasionally, though, a client is in your own backyard. So take him to lunch! Meet her for coffee! Face to face meetings are as valuable for copywriters as the golf course is for CEOs.

Regularly ask for referrals; then upsell the new client. Make a habit of asking clients for referrals. If they truly like your work, it’s no problem. A client who regularly orders case studies will probably refer you to new clients who want case studies. First, thank your client with a special offer; perhaps buy one free case study with the next one he orders. Upsell the new client too. “Sue, Joe thought you could use my services. You’re looking for case studies? Great! Did you know I also offer…”

Don’t fall into the trap of believing you have nothing left to sell your client. What you’re really saying is:

• You haven’t established a sufficient connection with the customer
• You’ve failed on the follow up…the client has forgotten you
• You know your customer is somehow irritated – you don’t want to ‘start something’

These statements simply mean you’ve failed to establish a bond with your customer that brings obvious value to the relationship.

Here’s the takeaway: Selling your services to your customers goes far beyond getting a project, completing it and moving on. When you treat your customers like wallets, you fail to establish yourself as a trusted advisor. You’re simply ‘a writer’. There are a million of those.

Have you taken advantage of upselling? Why or why not?

Have you ever received one of those weird emails from overseas, claiming someone you never heard of died and left you millions?

They’re at it again.

I just received an email with an ominous subject line:

Internet copyright of TheConfidentCopywriter (To Principal)
The email stated:

Dear Victoria Ipri,

We are an organization specified at dealing with domain name dispute and registration in Asia. We have something important on intellectual property right need to confirm with your company.

Today we received a formal application from a company called B2bmarketplace International, who applied to register ” TheConfidentCopywriter ” as their domain name in some countries and Network Trademark. During our preliminary investigation, we found that these domain names’ keyword is identical with your trademark. I wonder whether you consigned B2bmarketplace International to register these domain names with us? Or is B2bmarketplace International your business partner or distributor in Asia?

Currently, we have already postponed this application of this company temporarily. Therefore please let the relevant person make a confirmation with me by telephone or email ASAP.

Best Regards,

Wanda Peng
Auditing Department(HK Office)
Tel:00852 95 66 0205
FAX:00852-3071-7730
Email:wanda@skasiadnr.net
wanda.peng@dnrcenter.hk
Web:www.asiadm.hk.cn

I immediately freaked out and began writing back to “Wanda”, proclaiming my ownership of this domain, the legalities of my business…I mean, the nerve of this B2bmarketplace, whoever they were!

Then the good angel, who never leaves my right shoulder, screamed in my ear, “Hey, Stupid! You’re giving away confidential information? Go check this company out first!”

And I did. And guess what I found?

You’re gonna love this one.

I found a blog, www.miproconsulting.com, and the wonderful Jeff Ventura, who suffered the exact same fate and wrote about it back in June 2008:

“This approach is obviously personalized to the owner/manager of a commercial Internet brand and hints at risk to our online trademark due to a foreign application being made for our trademark name in country-specific flavors (.asia, .biz, .cc, .cn, .com. cn., .hk, etc.). Being the nice foreign domain registrar they are, the sender of this message, SK Holdings, is asking us if we want to do business with them and secure all of the miproconsulting variants listed below so that we can protect our Internet brand from this foreign applicant. Isn’t it nice that someone halfway across the globe is looking out for our best interests? Makes me want to do business with them right away.”

Wow, people. This is a new one on me. I quickly erased my email to ‘Wanda’ and stashed her email in my FRAUD folder for future reference.

Thank you, Jeff! I see you have 111 responses to this email. So apparently, the tactic isn’t new; just new to me.

If it’s new to me, it might be new to you. So, to my readers who own domain names, watch out!

This is a sneak attack we all need to be aware of.

OK…you can go back to whatever you were doing now…

When talking about freelance writing rates, knowing what you’re worth is important.

How can you determine your worth?

There are many factors. For this discussion, ‘worth’ relates to setting freelance writing rates, not what you might be worth in the corporate sector. Additionally, ‘worth’ can be subjective.

Factors that might affect worth include experience, expertise, skill, subject knowledge, and education (to a degree, and only for some projects). Additionally, a basic (or advanced) understanding of keyword usage, Internet marketing, organic search, the structure of various types of content (i.e., website copy vs. articles) is worth more overall to the customer. Customers, especially higher quality customers, want a writer who ‘gets it’. Additional skills bring value.

Value increases worth. Your rates go up. Simple, right?

Herein lies the rub. A freelance writer with an MBA, or even an English degree, might be ‘worth’ more in terms of education, expertise, etc. Depending on the customer’s needs, this person may be able to charge more. Of course, we know an MBA alone doesn’t make a great copywriter…but perception is reality for some customers.

Most of us don’t have MBAs. Most of us turned to freelance writing for myriad reasons, learning the craft over the years. So…that brings us back to the original question.

Fortunately, the typical customer doesn’t care about degrees. They want results. As Dan Kennedy once said, “It’s all about results. Not opinions. The only votes that count are accompanied by money.”

A common way to set rates is to research other copywriters’ rates and figure an average. It’s not a perfect science, but it’s a starting point.

I can tell you, for example, that the typical freelance writer gets paid $8 to $15 for a 500 word article. (Refer to previous post for reasons why.)

Ask yourself how badly you need or want the work. $8 an article is not great. But if you’re fairly new and need the experience, a new client, and some samples for your portfolio, it’s not a bad gig. If you can write an article in 30 minutes, (you better learn how very quickly) you’re making $16 an hour…from home.

To improve your rates over time, you’ll need experience and expertise. This means you can’t give up! Additionally, you may want to specialize in one area. You’ll also want to educate yourself. The more you know about how to write in such a way that the client gets results, the more you’ll be worth.