Five Easy Tips to Help Build Your Email List

August 9, 2009 at 11:21 pm · Filed under Internet marketing

Okay, so you want to market to your email list…but wait – you don’t really have one yet. You can easily start to build an email list by placing a small subscription sign-up form on your home page and asking for subscriber email addresses in exchange for your e-newsletter.

But hold on a second, who needs another e-newsletter? You need to sweeten the deal by giving away something for FREE.

Tip 1: Give away something for FREE. Everyone likes to get something for nothing. Giving away a FREE e-book or report is a great way to prompt someone to sign up for your email or e-newsletter list.

Offer your visitors a FREE download of a special report or e-book that is targeted to them…something that makes them handover their email addresses in exchange for your valuable FREE information product.

Say something such as, “Grab your free Copywriter’s Success Report (a $39.95 value.) when you subscribe to the FREE New Copywriters e-newsletter!”

Now that you’ve got a FREE offer, here are some more tips to help you promote it and continue to build your email list:

Tip 2: Promote your FREE offer in your sig line. Use your sig line, also known as a signature line, to promote your FREE offer. Your sig line is what you put after your name on your email messages. You should put your name, contact phone number, email address, website address and then a sentence about your FREE offer. Don’t get carried away with your sig line. If it is too long, it can be frustrating for the reader.

Example: Jane Doe, SEO Expert

Phone

Email address

For a copy of my FREE report, “Mastering SEO Basics”, visit: yourwebsitename.com

Tip 3: Post a FREE ad on Craigslist. Promote your FREE offer by posting an ad on Craigslist.

It is a high traffic site and you can use this to your advantage. Post an ad telling visitors to claim their FREE report by visiting your website. Post your FREE ad under large city categories for maximum results.

Tip 4: Promote your FREE offer in your e-newsletter. Place a blurb about your FREE offer in your e-newsletter. If the recipient forwards your e-newsletter to a colleague or friend, this is another way to get the word out about your offer and potentially add to your list.

Tip 5: Promote your online FREE offer on your offline business card. Print a blurb about your special giveaway or FREE offer on the back of your business cards. When you hand out your business card, your offer is on the back and gets carried around with the recipient. Even if they hand the card over to someone else…it gets the word out.

Example: Want to learn more about SEO? Download a FREE copy of this informative report, “Mastering SEO Basics”, at: yourwebsitename.com

You can easily increase your email list even if you choose two or three of these tips and put them into practice. These are just a few no-cost, low-cost ways to help build your email list, your business and ultimately make sales.

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Will Work For Free?

June 19, 2009 at 12:20 am · Filed under Copywriting, Jobs/Career

Below is a blog post I originally posted on my freelance site last year. I just found a “must see” video for writers on the topic of getting paid. It inspired me to re-post this blog post on The Copywriter’s Vault. After you read my post…get really inspired and watch the video from The Copywriter Underground website.

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I sent out several emails to prospects marketing my services this week. I had a potential client respond by asking me why he should switch to my SEO content writing services, when his current writer charges 50% less.

I told him that if he received well-written copy in a timely manner and was happy with the price, he shouldn’t stop using his current writer. Of course, my thought was that if he was satisfied, why did he contact me?

My guess is that he was fishing for a cheaper rate.

I replied with a breakdown of my rates explaining why I charge what I charge, and what goes into my research, writing, etc. I didn’t try to convince him; I just wanted him to understand what he would get for the money. Of course, I never heard back from him.

In the same week, I had another potential client contact me about my services. He said he liked my work and that he saw my rates. He didn’t say they were too high or too low. I told him that depending on the volume of work he could give me, we could negotiate the rates. The more work I could get, the better the rate.

We discussed how some copywriters will work for really low wages, peanuts, practically free. He commented how this was tearing down our profession across the board. He is right. Most writers write because they like it, but they have to pay bills too.

We don’t need to overcharge clients; we just need to make a fair wage. If we spend time researching, writing, editing, re-writing, etc…we should be paid for our time. People in any profession expect this.

I’ve come to the conclusion that if I have to beg a client to be paid a decent wage, they probably aren’t the client for me. A client that understands what it takes to get good work will gladly pay a fair wage.
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and now…the video: Pay the Damned Writer (*warning: some coarse language.)

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How to Get a Job In a Recession…Become a Free Agent!

May 31, 2009 at 10:56 pm · Filed under Jobs/Career

It’s not your grandparents’ or parents’ work-world anymore. They took a job with a big company, became loyal workers, built a decent pension and retired. No, this won’t be your future. I’m sorry to say…it really is up to you now. No more hoping the “corporate daddy” will take care of you.

Well, maybe this is the time to become a “Free Agent” and work for yourself.

My guess is that as the jobs continue to dwindle and unemployment continues to soar…people will get more creative and start to market their talents.

So, if you are facing a layoff, or have already…what are you to do?

  • Change your “mind-set”. Start thinking in terms of working for yourself, rather than working for someone else. People have been conditioned since the Industrial Age that they need to go to a building, punch in at 8 or 9 a.m. and work at least eight hours (many times more) and then punch out and go home.
  • Focus on your talents, what you’re good at. If you’ve recently been through a layoff, now is the time to start. Don’t wait around for someone to give you a job. Start marketing your talents. (preferably the ones that you enjoy!)
  • Become a free agent. (freelancer, contract worker) Many companies are hiring contract workers instead of employees. This means that they don’t have to pay health insurance, taxes, or give benefits. This seems to be the wave of the future in corporate cost-cutting measures.
  • Read some great books about the growing number of free agents:

    Daniel H. Pink’s Free Agent Nation: How America’s New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live

    Pam Slim’s Escape from Cubicle Nation

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Suffering From Writer’s Block? Tips to Jumpstart Your Copywriting

May 30, 2009 at 1:41 am · Filed under Copywriting

I know, I’ve been there. Some days you have a copywriting project for a client and you just sit and stare at the screen. Copywriting doesn’t always just happen. When it does, it’s great! The best way to tackle the problem is to just start.

Here are a few quick tips to jumpstart your next copywriting project:

Tip 1: Just jot down some high points. Topics you know that need to be covered in the project. It doesn’t have to be a fancy outline, but just write the main points down.

Tip 2: Expand each main point. Now that you’ve got the beginning foundation of your structure, try to add something to each point. Even if it’s only a sentence or two, try to write something. If you come up with a lot great, if you don’t come up with anything, no problem, just try again later.

Tip 3: Don’t edit! While you are writing to expand the main points, just write. If you start to edit, it will end whatever flow of ideas you start to write. Leave the editing until the end. The important thing for now is to get your ideas written.

Tip 4: Take a break! That’s what I said. Walk away. More times than not, you will get ideas after you’ve separated yourself from the work. If something pops in your mind during “the break”–jot it down.

Tip 5: Now you should have a basic foundation. If you’ve completed the above steps, you no longer have a blank screen.  At this point, you can continue to expand the points, arrange them in order, or make sure they flow from one to the next seamlessly.

Now you’ve jumpstarted your copywriting project and can continue to develop your ideas!

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Inaugural post…Do copywriters and Internet marketers really need each other?

May 28, 2009 at 5:23 pm · Filed under Copywriting, Internet marketing

I want to explain why I tried to build a site that caters to both copywriters and Internet marketers.

I started out as a copywriter because I loved writing, but soon found out that wasn’t enough.

I realized to be good at copywriting I had to learn all I could about marketing.  Finding learning resources for marketing and how to sell became just as important as  finding copywriting resources. I found great sites on copywriting and marketing.  I thought it might be helpful especially to newbies in both fields to find resources in one place.  Why? Because copywriters and Internet marketers need each other.

Copywriters need to know marketing to write selling copy. Internet marketers need copy that sells.  So…copywriters should know a little about marketing and Internet marketers should know what makes good copy.

Now, from a marketing standpoint, I’m still not sure if this was a good idea.  It could be looked at as confusing. I decided to try it and let the visitors tell me what they think.  This venture is new to me and I really do welcome any input you may have. Maybe you’re an Internet marketing expert, or maybe as a copywriter you have an opinion. If so, please post some feedback on this.  I’m looking forward to serving both copywriters and Internet marketers…at least for now.

To see what I’m talking about: http://www.copywriters-vault.com

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