Is your copy a bit lifeless? Marketing flat? Michele PW is here with tips and tricks to get your marketing and copy back on track.
12.02.05
Posted in Advertising, Business, Marketing at 4:01 pm EST by Michele PW
When most people think of marketing, they think of advertising. That’s not exactly true.
While advertising is a part of marketing, that’s all it is. A part. Marketing is much bigger than that.
A better way to think about marketing is anything you do that touches either your customers or potential customers.
Yes, I do mean anything. Whether it’s sending an invoice, handling a complaint call, running a radio ad or sending an e-mail, you’re marketing your business if you’re touching a customer or a potential customer. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Copywriting, Marketing at 4:00 pm EST by Michele PW
You’ve done it. Gotten that press release written. Now you’re ready to send it out to your carefully chosen list of media contacts.
But before you hit that “send” button, take a moment and run your press release through this checklist. Remember, you only have a few seconds to catch the attention of busy journalists and editors — don’t blow it over an easily corrected mistake.
Some of these may seem painfully obvious. Alas, even the obvious gets overlooked from time to time (even from professionals – I know, I’ve made my share of mistakes) so it’s always a wise idea to take a few moments to double check that your release is up to snuff before sending it out into the world. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Business, Copywriting, Marketing at 3:59 pm EST by Michele PW
Several years ago, when I was working for an agency, I was fired from an account. What that means is the client didn’t want me writing for him anymore.
Another writer, a friend of mine, got the account and life went on.
Of course, I was pretty upset by the situation. I had completed several writing projects already for that client, which had seemed to go well, and had just finished a press release when I got the boot.
My writer friend told me later her “secret” for making this client happy. Basically, what she did was rewrite the press release so it focused solely on the client and the client’s business. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, General, Marketing, Public Relations at 3:58 pm EST by Michele PW
In my last column I talked about how the field of marketing is changing. Now more than ever, you need to develop a relationship with your customers.
So where should you start? With your Web site.
What? You say you don’t have a Web site? Well, if you’re serious about selling your books, products or other services, then write down “get myself a Web site” at the top of your to-do list.
Seriously. A Web site is really the foundation of your marketing strategy. Not only can you sell your books from your Web site 24/7, but it’s also where you can start building a relationship with your customers. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Writing at 3:56 pm EST by Michele PW
I want to share my secret for attracting tons of traffic, leads and customers to my site.
Ready? It’s writing and submitting articles online.
I can hear all the protesting already. But it’s easy for you, you’re a writer, that’s what you do, etc.
Now there is some truth to that — I am writer so writing articles does come easy for me. However, I also make my living as a writer. That means I do an awful lot of writing each and every day. Trust me — I know all about procrastination when it comes time to writing articles for myself.
But since writing articles is such a powerful method of self-promotion, I’ve taken the time to figure out a few shortcuts. This makes the process less painful so I do get them written on a regular basis. I’m sharing five to help get you started. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Marketing, Public Relations at 3:53 pm EST by Michele PW
I thought I would clear up some misconceptions about marketing in this two-part series: What Marketing Can Do For You and What Marketing Can’t Do For You. This issue is about what marketing can’t do.
While there’s no question a solid marketing program can increase your business, it can’t fix everything. Below are 5 things marketing can’t do for you: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Marketing at 3:52 pm EST by Michele PW
I thought I would clear up some misconceptions about marketing in this two-part series: What Marketing Can Do For You and What Marketing Can’t Do For You. We’ll start with the positive.
Over the years, I’ve had dealings with some business owners who have a rather skewed perception of marketing. They think you throw a few ads out there, get a couple of press releases printed and voila! You’re a big success.
Oh, if it only were that easy. (Although if it were, I probably wouldn’t have a job.)
But there’s no getting around that to have a successful business, you need a solid marketing plan.
So what CAN marketing do for you? Increase your business – no question about it. You need to be marketing if you want to grow your business. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Business, Copywriting, General at 3:49 pm EST by Michele PW
You know that old saying — if you don’t know where you’re going, any path will get you there. That’s what happens if you don’t take the time to figure out what your goals are and WRITE them down. There’s power in writing things down (but you know this, you’re a writer).
Figuring out your goals is probably one of the most important and one of the most overlooked steps for writers starting their business. Ideally you should put together a business plan. However, I have yet to meet a writer (including myself) who has one. (In fact, if you are a writer with a business plan, please contact me. I’d love to chat with you about it.) Second best is getting your goals down on paper. Here are some things to include. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Copywriting, General, Marketing, Public Relations, Writing at 3:47 pm EST by Michele PW
Whatever kind of writing you do, knowing how to successfully network and meet people is critical to your success. You can leverage networking opportunities to increase readership of your books (people love to know authors and to tell people they personally know the author of the book they’re reading) get clients for a coaching or copywriting business, or line up speaking opportunities.
As writers, though, it’s sometimes difficult to drag ourselves out from behind the computer and actually interact with the human race. Here are fifteen tips to get you started. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Business, Copywriting, General, Writing at 3:44 pm EST by Michele PW
Now that you’re ready to start making money as a writer, you’ll need a place to be a writer. Here are three steps to get you started.
1. Start with a desk. Actually you need more than a desk — you also need a place to work. While a separate room is ideal, I’ve seen people turn dining rooms, basements and even a corner of a master bedroom into an office (yours truly started out of her bedroom).
Wherever you decide to set up shop, you need enough room for both a computer and paper files (background information, magazines, client files, etc.) Let yourself spread out.
Don’t forget to make room for a bookshelf and file cabinets. You’ll need both.
What you DON’T want to do is share that space with something else. Believe me, it’s a real drag to put together and tear down an office every day because you need the kitchen table for dinner. It drains your energy and will keep you from being as productive as you could be. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Copywriting, General, Marketing at 3:42 pm EST by Michele PW
Here are seven tips to help get your copywriting business off the ground.
1. Put together a portfolio. Most people won’t hire you without seeing samples of your work. That said, I’ve found the longer I’ve been in business the less people look at my samples.
When I first started and had hardly any samples, well then, of course everyone wanted to see them. So my portfolio consisted of every little thing I had ever done. Now that I have more samples than I can keep track of, I only bring a handful.
As for why potential clients aren’t asking to see my samples anymore, my guess is what’s probably happened is I’ve changed. My confidence has gone up and clients probably sense that in me, thus they’re also confident I can do the job. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Copywriting, General, Marketing, Public Relations at 2:59 pm EST by Michele PW
You are a professional writer — therefore you need a professional identity or image. And if you also offer marketing consultation, that image becomes even more important (after all, you’re in the business of helping other businesses with their identity, you better have a decent one yourself).
People want to work with successful people. The image you present to the world goes a long way toward establishing that.
Although the following three tips are designed more for copywriters, all writers can benefit from taking a closer look at their professional identity. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Copywriting, Writing at 2:56 pm EST by Michele PW
Looking to chuck that full-time job for a life of full-time writing? Or maybe you’ve already dumped the day job but aren’t quite as busy as you’d like to be. Why not take a closer look at copywriting?
Copywriting, also known as business or promotional writing, can do more than put a few extra bucks in your wallet — it can also help you develop as a writer. Here are ten reasons why:
1. Copywriting pays well. Actually it can pay very well. I know copywriters who easily make six figures in a year. That’s because copywriters charge by the hour rather than the by the word or page. Beginning copywriters usually start at $25 or $30 an hour, but if they’re good (or good at asking for what they’re worth — a rare trait in writers but one definitely worth developing) they can quickly move to $45 to $75 an hour. Senior copywriters charge well over $100 an hour.
Now you probably won’t start at $100 an hour, but even a few small jobs at $30 an hour can really boost your bottom line. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Copywriting, Writing at 2:53 pm EST by Michele PW
As a professional copywriter, I’m often asked by aspiring copywriters what they need to do to succeed. Most of their questions center around writing ability. They want to know how to find out if they have the talent to succeed, or if there’s a “test” they can take that will tell them if they’re a good enough writer to actually get paid to write.
Well, for better or for worse, writing ability has very little to do with a writer’s ultimate success. (Business owners who want to write to promote their business, take note — I’m talking to you as well.)
If there was a test out there (and there isn’t by the way) but if there was, I would say the test would deal only with your attitude about writing and leave ability flat out of it.
Yes, you heard me right. Attitude over ability. That’s the key to success.
I know. It’s hard to hear. As writers, we want so badly to be told our work is good, that it has merit, that we truly are talented. I’m not sure why so many of us need that exterior validation — perhaps because writing is such a solitary, inner activity that when we do finally come up for air, we want to make sure we haven’t been wasting our time. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Creativity, Writing at 2:51 pm EST by Michele PW
According to Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, the fear of being a bad speller is a remarkably common fear for people who want to write but are creatively blocked.
It doesn’t matter that the fear is irrational, it doesn’t matter that every single word-processing program out there comes with a spell checker, the fear of not being able to spell still haunts those would-be writers. And thus, those people remain blocked. Read the rest of this entry »
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