Blogfeeder - The Copywriting and Marketing Blog from Wordfeeder.com

Home Depot Gardening Club Brings Copywriter Extreme Joy

Yesterday we had one of those faux spring days, with sunshine and 50-degree temps. So as one would expect, this copywriter with gardening on the brain ventured out to Home Depot to see how much gardening inventory they had on display. I must confess, I did contemplate for some time whether or not a blueberry-bush-in-a-box would thrive in the corner of my .13 acre backyard.

So far, Home Depot is only just beginning to roll out the planting products. But what DID jump out at me was this little whiteboard they had propped up at the front of the store, happily announcing the Home Depot Gardening Club. Some Home Depot employee-turned-artist had decorated the board with colorful, marker-drawn pictures of little flowers and vines and covered the whole thing with all sorts of temptation. "Great prices on seeds! Discounts on fertilizer! Sign up for our Garden Club newsletter!" (I don't actually remember what the deals were, but the whole concept was just so gosh darned nifty).

I immediately fancied myself to be someone who wrote FOR their website and gardening newsletter, testing the various plants and techniques in the little patch of gardener's heaven out my back door. And still at this very moment, I wonder, "WHO writes for Home Depot? WHERE are all these fantastic gardening tips coming from? And more importantly, HOW I get on the marketing staff?"

Seriously. I seriously want to write gardening articles for Home Depot. I would do such a good job!

Home Depot! Email me now: Dina@Wordfeeder.com

LinkedIn: The Easy Way to Get and Manage Testimonials for Your Business Website

I help people create websites for their (sometimes) newly launched businesses. One problem I regularly encounter is getting my clients to pull together testimonials or endorsements for their work or products. They're embarrassed to bring it up, or maybe they just can't get organized enough to make that call or send that email.

LinkedIn takes care of this for you. If you log into your account profile and go to the Recommendations area, you can send a quick Request for Recommendation with one simple click. Or, to kick things off, you can start sending recommendations of your coworkers. Typically, people who worked with you will flash back to that time when you teamed up, and if they feel good about what you created together, they will reciprocate with a recommendation of you and what you do.

That said, is it okay to publish those testimonials on your business website, even though they were originally meant for LinkedIn? Well, I would say that since someone was willing to make a public testament to your worth, they probably would not have a problem with this. But in case you're unsure, you can do one of two things: 1. ask them for permission, or 2. publish their words but remove either their first or last name from the testimonial, making it slightly more anonymous.

More than likely, if you're starting a business, that business is a culimination of your professional experience. So it follows that people who have worked with you in the past would (hopefully) have something good to say about your work. LinkedIn makes it so easy to do this. Thanks, LinkedIn!

View my copywriting testimonials on Wordfeeder.com - some are from LinkedIn, some are from emails that I received from satisfied website clients.

What I'm Working On: Garden Coaching Sales Copy for a Landscaping Client

One copywriting/website client who I really enjoy working with is always coming up with creative new ways to pitch her services. She's a professional landscaper, but instead of having one of those static websites, she provides valuable tips for people who are looking to learn. While a website can serve many purposes, dynamic is so much more effective for your bottom line than static. My client knows this and having me help her create new content on a regular basis is bringing her business.

So if you want your name coming up for all kinds of searches that people might be out there Googling, post all kinds of how-to articles and different types of promotions that will help people learn something new.

This week, my client and I brainstormed a solution for folks who can appreciate a well lanscaped backyard but don't want to spend a lot on a professional gardener. We're working on a garden coaching page, where people can get how-to instructions, helpful diagrams, and phone time with a landscaper who knows what they're doing. We're going to publish this information on its own, stand-alone sales page and use the words "garden coach" in the title so that people will be able to find it.

Searching for creative ways to market your business online? Email dina@wordfeeder.com for help!

Does Your Website Make It Easy for People to Contact You?

I just popped by the website of my copywriting client. She's a life coach, and a very high profile one at that. I'm proud to say that she's really evolved her presence online, from hosting all kinds of cool groups and teleclasses, to keeping up appearances on Facebook. Lately, she's been posting videos, which I think is such a great way to connect with your audience on a more personal level.

So, I was just checking out her video today, and suddenly I realized something pretty important. There was no obvious way to contact her from the blog where she posts the videos! I mean, you could leave a comment on the blog, sure. But a lot of people might feel hesitant to ask about coaching sessions in a public forum like that.

How about your website? Do you make it easy to get in touch? Essentially, if your web content is doing its job, that means people will be flying in from Google, landing on ANY page at any given time. It's not like a store, where you can only enter through the front door.

So, with that in mind... you want to give your readers an easy way to contact you from ANY page of your site where they might show up. I recommend ALL of the following contact points on your website:

1. A contact link in your main navigation.

2. Full contact information in the footer of your website

3. A "contact us" line (with email address listed) after every section of content you write - whether it's a blog entry, a static page, a press release, or what have you.

You really can't rely on the fact that people will act instantaneously. Make it EASY for them to get ahold of you!

Get a good marketer on your side! Contact dina@wordfeeder.com for help with website creation, blog management, newsletters and more.

Blogger: are you ready with your Friday Inspiration?

First of all, let me just say that I'm kicking up the action over at my other blog, Copywriting on the Fly. I try to keep that one more buttoned up, and really provide value for those interested in learning how to write copy that sells. If that's your bag, hop on over there and subscribe to the RSS feed.

Meanwhile, over here, it's a melange of copywriting, marketing and a bit of Pure, Unadulterated Dina.

But this is what I want to say to those who stop by to "hang" with me here on Blogfeeder. Sit up and pay attention.

It's no longer Fart Around Friday in the freelance world. Instead, it's a great day to wring out that last drop of writing brilliance and leave something behind on your blog for others to reap your wisdom.

Why blog now, and not Monday? Because lots of blogs are now participating in Friday, Saturday or Sunday Link Love.

To my surprise, I found myself linked to from a couple of freelance writing blogs. It was a post that I wrote at the end of last week titled Copywriting Lessons I've Learned While Squatting in the Trenches. (You can see who picked it up if you go over there).

I'm not guaranteeing that there will be swarms of links coming in if you blog on Friday. But it's surely a great way to encourage weekend visitors.

To your blogging and copywriting success,

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

A Love Song for $25K?

These days, it may not be enough to sell a service anymore. People want everything packed up neatly and gift-wrapped in gorgeous graphics.

Seems like this guy created a win-win that combines his writing and musical talents.

He charges between $2,000 and $25,000 to write, produce and/or perform (with or without a full ensemble) a custom-written song that celebrates the journey of your love.

I wonder how much he pays the ghostwriters who work behind the scenes stringing romantic lyrics together and putting a tune to people's memories?

Thoughts to ponder.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Idea: Web Designers Should Hire VA's

I know many web designers. The ones who I know are extremely talented at their craft. Many charge fairly impressive rates for their service, and rightly so. They do good work.

But the one thing I find myself frustrated with is the lack of availability and the lack of communication.

Believe me, I know what it's like to be blinded by HTML (and more recently, PHP code). When you're in that frame of mind, the last thing you want to do is start up email conversation, even if it is for the good of your enterprise. Your head just isn't in that place. Yes. I understand. I myself don't want to talk to clients if I'm coding, no. Another part of the brain is engaged at that time - one that's not so good at people skills.

So anyway. If you spend the bulk of your time immersed in this stuff, why don't you do your business a favor and hire a virtual assistant? Someone to field client questions, respond to business queries, and act as the "voice" of your business.

You don't even need her to work every day. Just set up the VA with an "info@" email address and report your project status to her once a week. She can fill your appointments and communicate with people, who can then plan their next course of action around what you're doing. Put a system in place. Make it functional. VA's can cost as little as $30 per hour. Remember, that's tax deductible at the end of the year.

Web designers, good ones, anyway, are great at setting up systems. So why not automate a process for your business?

It would be great to know that Mucho Talented Designer Friend wants my business, but sorry, it will have to be next week. To be honest, I feel a bit lost in this wild and woolly world of online business... and I've been doing it for I think almost five years.

(Five years?? When did that happen?)

Sometimes opportunism is great... but there has to be SOME measure of loyalty. I can't plan anything if I never know what's going on.

The biggest thing that scares me when I don't get replies from web design colleagues is "What if I refer a big client, especially one of mine, who trusts me, my work, my reliability and my associates?"

What if I can't trust that my client will get a timely response?

If you're one of my many design buddies (and I do love you all), don't email me regarding this blog post. Just think about what I said, for the future. Do it for your mortgage, your medical bills, your groceries, and your gas money. Do it for your kids!!

I know I'm far from perfect myself. And actually, I wish that some people would take the time to point out the ways that I could use some improvement.

"What can your copywriter do for you?" I don't just mean the writing. I mean the everyday flow of business management. I strive for this. Do others? Who knows?

Maybe if I got some feedback, I'd know how to serve my clients even better and how to run a seamless operation.

Maybe I'll put out another survey. Yeah. A survey.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

6 Things to Do on a Slow Day in Copywriting Land

When I say "slow day," I mean a day where you have no pressing deadlines. A day when instead of getting 25 responses to your Most Pressing Projects, you get 10 Non-Urgent and Non-Important emails from clients. You know we all have those days, just as much as we have those Everybody And His Mother is Beating Down My Door days. I don't know why it happens the way it does. But I DO know what to do on a slow day in copywriting land.

1. INVENT a pressing deadline. Just because nobody is sitting there with a stopwatch counting down the seconds until you meet the copywriting deadline doesn't mean you can't do it to yourself. Taking your old sweet time on an article that's due the end of this month? Write it NOW, check it off your list, move onto the next item, make more money.

2. Update your website. It kills me, I mean absolutely KILLS me, to see friendly neighborhood marketers who don't bother to find broken links in their websites or add fresh content to their article collections. I'm NOT saying that to try and twist your arm and get your business. I don't care if your grandma is over there writing your web copy, as long as it's getting written and sounds terrific. You've GOT to keep up with the demand for more website content, better keywords, and pages with no errors. Not doing this HURTS your page rank. Trust me when I say this.

3.  Follow up. So you didn't hear back from that graphic guy who was supposed to be doing your holiday postcards? You're waiting for a response from the client on press release edits? Contact them AGAIN. Make sure everyone's received your emails. Pick up the phone, write a friendly reminder, do what you have to do to keep the game moving. If my clients think I over-communicate, too bad. They can always work with another copywriter who "disappears for weeks" with their marketing, and not a word of reassurance.

4. Get out there and be seen. I have a blog account with Lockergnome.com. They have an amazing page rank (I think it's 9 these days), and it seems that every time I post on their blog, I get a flurry of new email signups. (Thanks, guys!) So even though "posting on other people's blogs" tends to take a lower rung on the priority ladder than taking care of my customers and keeping things spic and span around here, it's still important. You just never know when a copywriting or design client is here today, gone tomorrow. So get out there and speak your expertise to the world, whatever it may be.

5. Write a to-do list. You want to write a book that teaches copywriters how to add simple design elements to their portfolio samples? Don't just dream about it - plot it out on paper. Take the first item on the list and make that your first "action item" (God I hate it when I use trendy lingo). I NEVER have less than 25 items on my legal pad of Things to Take Care of. If you only have ten and none are due today, it's time to step it up.

6. Figure out how much money you'll be pulling in this month. You don't need a fancy finance program to accomplish this. Just open a Word document and type a list of every person you wrote copy for this month (or expect to, as in the case of steady clients). Pull up your calculator and then quickly figure out what kind of cash is on its way in. Whatever the amount is, decide that you want to make double what you made on the last "stellar" month you had. Then go back to your to-do list and see what you come up with this time.

7. Pay your bills. 'Nuff said.

Feeling lost in the blogosphere? Newsletter looks naked? Contact Dina at Wordfeeder.com to kick-start your copywriting and marketing effort today!

So Easy... Even Senior Citizens Can Surf It!

I have an idea that could potentially create a lot of jobs. My idea... are you ready for this... is that every website should be test-driven by members of the over-65 crowd. It's not unlike the famous claim from Geico, "So easy a caveman could do it!" only in this case it would be, "So user-friendly, even senior citizens can surf it!"

I'm not trying to poke fun at the old folks. I realize that for those who spent the majority of their lives in a computerless world, the mouse can be a perplexing thing. And, just to be fair, I'll even mock myself while I'm here: I'm 34 and I can't do math in my head!

Once again, an older member of the family attempted to cruise one of my websites. And when I say "older" I mean early fifties, which is actually not so old. And when I say "cruise" I mean "stumble about in an aimless way, clicking the same link repeatedly by accident while pausing frequently to tell stories that are vaguely associated with whatever image they may be looking at."

Despite the fact that I'm a copywriter, I'm pretty good at designing websites that are easily navigated. I find it pleasing to organize everything by category, insert links that serve as "directions" on where to go next, and place the key items in critical spots where they will be easily noticed. I'm not making this up. I frequently get compliments on how easy it is to find one's way around my sites.

Even so... to see this person fumbling around on my website like she was lost in a foreign land was rather disheartening. But there were several telling facts of her over-fifty surfing method that really jumped out at me.

1. She was really stuck on the top portion of the page. It was like "below the scroll" did not exist for her. Mental note: navigation bars that are located at the top of the page (horizontal) may be more effective than those which run vertically down the side.

2. If she did happen to venture toward the nether regions of the page, it was with an erratic, choppy method of tapping at the mouse. She never did make it all the way to the bottom. Obvious lesson learned: keep it brief, put the least important info at the bottom.

3. She was mesmerized by the graphic images, particularly those that she felt "emotionally connected to". However, I'm unable to ascertain whether this was a help or hindrance in getting her to do what I wanted.

4. Definite challenge in reading the copy and focusing on its meaning. Bringing us to the point that website content should be straightforward and simply written. This is more difficult to pull off than people realize - which is why every serious website owner needs a good copywriter by their side.

5. Some trouble identifying that the "buttons" were actually clickable and would transport you to various spots on the site. Which prompts the question, is it better to keep it simple with plain old underlined links than try to get fancy with hover links and clickable images?

6. She clicked on whatever image captured her attention but then could not understand why she had suddenly changed locations on the site. (Not really sure what to make of this - maybe avoid going too crazy with photos that link?)

I think it would be a highly interesting experiment to see if one's website would pass muster with the senior crowd. Can they get around with ease? Did the content meet their need for information, emotional fulfillment, social interaction, whatever? If the website sells a product or service, how easy was it for the older user to place an order?

As I see it, the Over 60ish Website Tester occupation could serve two purposes: 1, learn if your website does the job it's supposed to, and 2, help older folks find their way around the web. If the user wears bifocals and "only uses the internet occasionally" or calls it the "innernets" they fit the criteria for the position.

Of course though, if the same person tested seven or so different websites, they'd probably become fairly proficient in web-surfing, eliminating the need for their services. And then I guess you'd have to find yourself another crop of senior website testers.

Another wild idea from Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

How to Add Web Copy Appeal

Here's another sneaky trick from my Bottomless Bag O' Copywriting Tips.

If you've already got great copy, but you want to make it even MORE readable, this is what you do:

Add graphics.

Yep. Simple enough, right? No hours toiling over "the mother of all headlines" or fretting about "the perfect way to say it."

(Sometimes there is no "perfect way," okay? I'm a persnickety copywriter myself and I'll be the first to admit this. There are millions of ways to say the same thing. Just pick one way that gets the job done and move on to the next task.)

Back to the point - graphics. Why do they work so well? Because even if you are among the best, the brightest, the quickest, the wittiest... there's still an awful lot of copy to compete with out there. So before people can dig their proverbial fork into the feast that is your web page, you must make them look your way. Wave something shiny in their faces... imagery.

(And besides, websites were born to be graphically enhanced. The web is very magaziney that way, don't you think?)

Plenty of websites out there will let you grab an image for free, or for a dollar or so, or for a flat monthly membership (depending on the level of quality you're seeking).

So if you want to embolden your blog content, snazz up your sales letter copy, polish up your articles... then DO add a pretty picture. And here's how to make it a quick and painless process...

Let's say you just wrote an article on getting things done faster. Now you want to add a graphic. So ask yourself: what visuals come to mind when you think about productivity? Hmmmm... how about an assembly line?

Thinking of an assembly line reminds me of the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy was working at the chocolate factory and she was supposed to be manning the conveyor belt, but then things started getting too fast for her to handle so she began eating the chocolates... and then the machine went haywire, and the chocolates were speeding down the belt and she just kept cramming them into her mouth as fast as she could.

Imagine if you could get a hold of that photo of Lucy freaking out on the chocolate conveyor, for an article about productivity?  I think that would be pretty darned attention-grabbing, AND funny. And if not, well, there are a million more ideas in that little noggin of yours, right? Just choose one, and run with it.

Make sense?

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing