The Confident Copywriter

Recently I’ve been asked more than once to explain why I use The Confident Copywriter to talk about topics that don’t seem to have much to do with writing copy. There is a method to my madness, and it is this:

Copywriting has changed completely in just the last few years. Today, it’s not enough to know how to string compelling words together on a page. The best copywriters grasp the latest technologies and techniques, including social media marketing. They know how to seek prospects, close the deal, get referrals, and stay busy.

Let’s face it— social media is where it’s at. This is where you’ll find prospects, customers, vendors, competitors, partners…and if you have ignored the task of getting up to speed on social media because you believe it doesn’t apply to you as a copywriter, I promise…you will get left behind.

If you are a successful copywriter, meaning you have enough loyal clients willing to pay your rates, a nice amount of referrals coming in, slightly more work than you can handle, a growing email list and so forth, I applaud you. It ain’t easy today by any means.

But you are not the norm. I talk with copywriters all day, via email, Skype and my 30/30 Coaching program. Copywriters often express the same ‘wants’. They want more work. They want higher pay. They want pricing that reels in customers but makes them happy to be doing the work. They want time in their day to accomplish their goals. They want to understand the myriad marketing choices laid out before them.

Rather than regurgitate the same old rhetoric, I’ve taken this approach over the years: The more you know, the more you can educate your client, thereby becoming a trusted advisor, their ‘go to’ person, rather than “that copywriter”. This is the idea behind this blog as well. It’s up to you to read the information and put your brain to work figuring out how to profit from it.

For example, did you realize mobile marketing opens up a nice opportunity for copywriters who prefer to write short, advertising copy? Those 160+ (and quickly counting) merchants currently using mobile marketing need the right words to entice buyers via this new medium. So will the millions that follow. Mobile marketing is no fluke. It’s growing faster than the Starbucks line on Free Frappucino Day.

Did you know social media…in particular, LinkedIn…opens up a world of copywriting possibilities? Millions of profiles, and no one to help members stand out using just the right words…

Even Twitter holds opportunity…have you checked out all the job listings for freelance copywriters lately? It’s like craigslist when it was fresh and new!

Perhaps most importantly, did you know the fate of your future business rests on how much people like you? What better tool to get ‘popular’ (maybe even famous!), reach out to others, prove your value, and help others, than social media!

All the tools for success are in front of you, many of them at your favorite price…FREE. Next time you hear yourself saying, “But I can’t…”, or “I don’t know how…” or even, “I can’t afford…”, stop! You can. You will find out how. You can afford to do the things you want to grow your business, because the truth is, you can’t afford not to. Not if success is your main objective.

So, the next time you visit The Confident Copywriter and find a post on social media, mobile marketing, semantic indexing, SEO, or other topics that seem irrelevant at first glance, take a few minutes to read the post through. You may just stumble right into the lap of new business.

Tell me…in the past week or so, what new tool have you used, or what new task have you accomplished, that surprised you or helped you get new business unexpectedly?