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Y’all know me well enough by now to notice I dish out a fair wad of advice about blogging. Writing blogs is a passion of mine, one I’m fortunate enough to get paid for. When I’m passionate about something, I want to talk about it ALL THE TIME. This annoys my poor, long-suffering husband, who is currently enduring with zen-like patience my recent fanaticism with sustainable, self-sufficient living. (He does like my home-baked bread, though).
Hence why I talk about blogging, a LOT. I believe it’s important for my clients and other businesses to understand why blogging has become important in the online world. When new work arrives on my desk, I see the same mistakes again and again – no blog, not updating a blog, a stale, badly written blog, the list goes on – and I want to help.
I started blogging only two years ago – and since then my skills . Everything I know about writing and online media I have self-taught, by reading books, ebooks and other blogs, and by trial-and-error. I haven’t always got things right, but every is a piece of knowledge I can pass on to my clients. And today, I’m passing a few tips on to you.
So, please don’t laugh too much, but here are a few blogging mistakes I’ve made:
Continue reading Blogging Mistakes I’ve made
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Does your business have a website? Are you thinking it’s time you moved into the digital age? Are you pricing up graphic designers? Before you commit to a website design, consider the purpose of your business website and whether your chosen designer is best suited to realise that purpose.
So what IS your website doing for your business? Think about this very carefully. Is your website your primary means of interaction with your customers – ie, an online shop. Does your website bring in new business via search engine traffic? Or does it serve as an information source for customer who’ve already brought with you – offering product advice, software updates or networking resources?
Continue reading What IS Your Website Doing for Your Business?
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Copywriting clients come and go. Most you adore and hope to work with again. Some become lifelong friends, some you wish you’d never met. I’ve been thinking a lot about my wonderful and not-so-wonderful clients, so I compiled this list on how to be a great freelance client:
A Great Client has a Plan
When you go into business, or start up your non-profit, the VERY first thing you should do is not buy your domain name or throw a party, but draw up a business plan. Your business plan then becomes the backbone of every business decision you make.
The client with a plan is the client who comes to me and says “I need to website to fulfill this specific purpose. I want this information included. I need a blog that targets this specific audience and attracts new clients to my business. Go to it.” This client is a joy to work with because they understand what a copywriter needs to produce successful website content.
The client without a plan says “I need a website, with some articles and probably a blog.” They don’t understand the purpose for their website, their target market, or the goals they’re working towards by setting up online. These clients are difficult to work with as they don’t know what they want to achieve, so the copywriter can’t target their content accordingly.
A Great Client is Excited about their business
My favourite people to work with are those enthusiastic, ultra-driven people. You know the ones – they ooze passion from every pore. They’re the plumbers passionate about drain-laying, the gothic clothing designers passionate about Victorian lace, the seed-growers passionate about organic compost. Their enthusiasm is infactions, and before long I discover I’M passionate about drain laying, victorian lace and organic compost, and my passion comes across in the words I write.
Inspire passion in those around you, and you’re business will thrive.
A Great Client knows when to Leave you To It
Some clients are so concerned you don’t understand the needs of their project, they’ll ring you countless times to ‘go over the details’ or drag you in for meeting after meeting.
Great Clients understand that all these interruptions break your flow and result in a disjointed focus on the project. Great Clients trust you as the expert to deliever your best work based on their detailed brief.
A Great Client Asks for the Best
Sometimes – for whatever reason – you don’t get things quite right the first time. Maybe the focus for some of your articles is a bit off, or you’ve touched on a controversial point your client would rather avoid.
A Great Client gives you detailed feedback on the areas they want improved and allows you to rectify these areas.
Some clients simply take the content and make do, or attempt to edit it themselves. A Great Client understands you want only your best work to enter the world and will allow you the opportunity to improve your content.
A Great Client Pays on Time
Every freelancer has a tale of ‘the Client that Didn’t Pay’. My worst was an editor who didn’t sent a check for four months. The check never arrived (not the editor’s fault, mind you) so they told me they would write another check and send it right away. Two weeks later, a check arrived – not the new check, but the FIRST check, now reversed. The new check arrived three months later – seven months after I was due payment.
It’s easy to forget the writers have to eat too, and pay our bills, and buy our husband’s chocolate. Great Clients pay promptly, and if there’s any problem with payment, they rectify it forthwith.
Do you have any more definitions of great clients? Perhaps you have a story of a great or not-so-great client you’d like to share in the comments?
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I’ve caused a slight stir on a couple of discussion forums recently by suggesting that businesses and non profits wanting to save money on their copy should NOT be looking to outsourcing sites like elance, or buying PLR to rewrite themselves, but should instead look to Australia and New Zealand copywriters for high quality web and print content?
Why do I say this?
First of all, yes, I’m a New Zealand copywriter, so I’m partly motivated by a desire to promote my own copywriting services. However, my staple of regular clients keep me busy and well-fed, and although I’m itching for some new challenges, I’m not desperate for work.
However, I am passionate about seeing businesses succeed and survive the recession. I think businesses trying to cut the costs of their copywriting budgets are looking in the wrong places. With the exchange rate in it’s current position, you’d be foolish not to take advantage of the NZ and Australian dollar for business needs.
If a New Zealand copywriter charge $50 an hour, and a US copywriter charges $50 an hour - and both copywriters have the same experience and high quality work - than you’re actually paying $25 an hour in US dollars for the New Zealand copywriter. You’ve just halved your copy budget without having to hire someone with questionable english skills.
What I would prefer you do is to look first to US copywriters, because they’re your locals and you should always look after your home team. Inject your cash into the local economy if at all possible. But if you’re forced to look elsewhere for cheaper prices, I suggest hiring an Australian or New Zealand copywriter.
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You may have heard online businesses singing the praises of PLR articles. But before you commit to purchasing any PLR articles, you ought to know a little more about what PLR articles are, how they work, how they can help or harm your business, and what to watch out for.
What are PLR articles?
PLR articles are bundles of articles (usually 10, 20 or 25) around 400 words long, written around a series of keywords. When you buy PLR content, you can edit it, add to it, mash it up, and use it in whatever way you choose. You’ve paid for the right to use the CONTENT in these articles.
Continue reading PLR articles – good business idea?
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I’ve been reading Blog Bloke recently (really enjoying his SEO blog tips, too) and I realised that, like, him, I had recently made the transition from Blogger to Wordpress (on my wedding skulls blog) and others might benefit from my assessment of the process.
Continue reading Blogger to Wordpress: Making the Change
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SEO writers constantly remind small businesses of the importance of article marketing. You’ve read time and time again that buying 50 or 100 articles featuring your chosen keywords puts your business ahead of the rest in the all-important search engine rankings. But when you receieve your 100 SEO articles, how do you use them? How does article marketing actually work?
Continue reading Article Marketing 101
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Every time we turn on the news, we’re greeted with more doom and gloom about the economic recession. It’s quite depressing, actually. No one has confidence in the economy anymore. And as consumers cut back on everything, the small businesses suffer.
Continue reading Hiring a copywriter during the recession