Blogfeeder - The Copywriting and Marketing Blog from Wordfeeder.com

Worth My Salt

This week, I was contacted to write website content for a sea salt company. The day after we spoke, a huge box arrived in the mail. This is what was inside:

Dead sea bath salts, in scents like tangerine sage and spearmint rosemary, gourmet sea salt, artisan pink salt, and Fusion cooking salt in flavors like garlic and habanero.

I love working with cool people selling cool products! And yes... I've already soaked my tired bones in the soothing, scented bath salts. Ooh, la la!

Looking for someone to write lively, informative, keyword-infused web content about your online products?

Email dina@wordfeeder.com for a copywriting quote today.

Wordfeeder Website Marketing Client Wins Award for Best Content

This news has been a long time coming, but unfortunately I'm not as great at keeping up with my own blog content as I am with my clients. Back in November 2009, Diane Downey, owner of The Yard Fairy San Diego Landscaping won for "Best Content" in California Landscaping Magazine's Cybersoil Awards.

Wordfeeder Copywriting has been managing article editing, newsletter creation and web page updates for Diane for the past year, and I'm thrilled to see that her website has become such a raging success within the California landscaping community!

Truth be told, I play a large part in the upkeep of Diane's website - but without her proactive involvement, The Yard Fairy website simply would not be. Each month, Diane takes the time to carefully write out detailed information that I then turn into web articles for her. She's completely engaged in the content creation process, also snapping gorgeous photos that I then add to her site for a truly professional effect. People from all over the world are Googling and discovering her wonderful talent for landscaping in a way that conserves water and respects the environment.

We published a press release announcing the news on Diane's website back in November.

I'm always so amazed by the creative and enterprising people that I have the pleasure of writing web content for each day. Diane is one great lady and I've learned so much about landscaping and gardening simply by working for her.

Want to create your own, award-winning website? Contact Dina@Wordfeeder.com for a custom copywriting or web design quote today.

Dina and the Amazing Technicolor Copywriting Client

Something cool happened to me this December. Behind the Wordfeeder scenes, someone turned my head away from the 24 Blogging Days of Christmas and dangled a hot copywriting job under my nose.

The potential client was about to buckle under the pressure of a too-tight deadline. She came to me, frazzled and desperate, with a one-week turnaround on a mountain of a job. So I did what any normal freelancer with too much going on would do. I hopped to it and wrote the copy!

This turned out to be one of the most amazing projects I've ever worked on. Now you may be wondering, "What was so amazing about it?" Well, I'll tell you. It wasn't so much the subject matter (physical conditioning), OR the fact that I was writing for an undefeating Golden Gloves boxing champion. These things added a certain degree of intrigue... but neither was the *real* reason for the *amazing.*

The real reason was the creative synergy that happened between the marketing coordinator and me while the project was taking shape. Synergy is defined as "combined action or function." So if you add "creative" to that definition then you can imagine two people putting their heads together, each contributing in their own way, to produce a more potent result in a much shorter span of time than either person could have accomplished on their own. The outcome of which is a powerful alchemy, indeed.

Maybe I should just make this simple. I wrote some some kick-ass website copy and a hard-hitting sales page in a very short amount of time. Instead of over-analyzing the copy ten times over, the client took a good, hard look at what was there and simply ADDED VALUE to make it more complete. Rare indeed is the copywriting client who is able to push forward with the project instead of doing that "step foward, step back again" thing that happens when too many cooks spoil the copy.

And then, what did the amazing technicolor copywriting client do? Not only did she make use of what I wrote for her in the expected way, but she RAN WITH what was already  there and went on to produce a high-quality product video. She gathered together "the best of the best" from the copy. She added live testimonials from satisfied clients. Finally, she put an extremely talented website designer to work making the whole thing come together and look absolutely gorgeous on the page.

This is such a rare and precious thing. I say this because people who "overthink it," not just the copy but maybe even life itself, will really find themselves spinning in endless circles, getting nothing accomplished. This project could have easily dragged on for another six months, had the wrong group of marketing professionals come together to make mincemeat of it.

Instead, you put three heads together and assign each person an area of expertise. Then you make a plan and move forward with it. You let each person own their portion of the job... and bam, you've got an awesome finished product, completed in record time.

Now that's the kind of copywriting that's FUN to write!

Get your copywriting on the fly. Email dina@wordfeeder.com for a custom copywriting and web marketing quote today.

The old one-two copywriting punch

In an earlier post about top gun copywriters, I talk a bit about exposure. Great copywriting + continuous exposure = higher sales. Allow me to point out a terrific client of mine who came to me knowing what he had to do and exactly how I could help him.

Gailen David, otherwise known as The Sky Steward, recently appeared in USA Today thanks to a press release I helped him write, which he then sent out to a long list of media contacts. As a result of this relatively simple yet significant effort, Gailen is now receiving a ton of exposure for his customer service training, corporate etiquette courses and speaking events.

Take a look at the Sky Steward's most recent news article, written by Kitty Bean Yancey of USA Today. Now imagine the same kind of exposure for your business. It's easy to see the old one-two punch in action: write excellent copy, push it out there. Get positive attention in return.

A BIG congrats to The Sky Steward Gailen David for making it happen this month!

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Thankful Copywriter

Before the holiday weekend is officially over, I'd like to take a moment and express my gratitude. This year, the copywriting chick is giving thanks for...

The internet: without it, I'd still be just another cubicle chimp!

My parents: they clash like oil and water and fight like cats and dogs. And yet, when you take each of their greatest gifts, you end up with one FORMIDABLE super-human. I didn't realize it when we were young but very few people come away with a value system, the smarts and tools for survival like my brother and I have. So thanks, Mom and Dad. And quit your bickering, it makes my head hurt.

Mah hunney: He's generous, sweet tempered, and my mood swings and multiple personalities amuse instead of irritate him (?). He never EVER has an unkind word about anyone or anything. Also, he's good with power tools AND he cooks and cleans. Who would give that up?

Copywriting clients who run with it! I visit the blogs of my copywriting clients regularly - one, to check up on them, and two, because I genuinely enjoy reading what they have to say. A couple of them really know how to make the most of what I give them. For instance, we'll release an article in October, and in November, I'll notice that they've taken a paragraph of that piece and turned it into a whole new entry of its own. This warms my cockles and shows me that my clients understand how important it is to keep the web content flowing! (Not to mention, they're really just great people in general.)

A bevvy of topics to write about. Variety is the spice of my copywriting career. Some drink coffee, I get a jolt from knowing that there's always something new and exciting to learn and then communicate! This fall I wrote about customer service, air travel, early retirement, career coaching, medical products, landscaping, women in business, spelling tips, a wedding singer... you get the picture.

A nice mix of male and female copywriting clients. I enjoy the differences between men and women and am of the position that when you put the two together, you come up with some powerful creative alchemy and amazing results. So I can really appreciate when I get to work on mixed-gender teams, or when I have a couple of jobs going for the girls, and a couple more for the guys. Keep it coming, dudes and dudettes!

The tutorial that's included with Dreamweaver. Having decent web design skills really gives me the edge over other copywriters and keeps costs down for my clients (because they don't have to hire a separate person to "tweak" their site or create a sales page for them). I also can't forget the person who gifted me with this incredible program. A thousand thanks... you know who you are!

Every tech geek who has blessed me with tips and troubleshooting support. Thank you for your know-how, and your willingness to share.

My would-be office pals... the people who email me their friendly hellos and updates, keep it entertaining on their blogs, contribute to online forum chats, and generally function as my virtual cubicle buddies. Thanks for bringing a bit of mirth and merriment to the working life of a busy copywriter like me.

Finally, I'm thankful to my friends near and far, for being so easygoing, unpretentious, loyal, accepting, colorful, offbeat, honest, funny, understanding, original, and just plain perfect.

Dear reader, I hope YOU enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend as much as I have. I'm off to host a holiday crafting party but I'll be back bright and early on Monday for marketing madness. See you then!

Get a head start on your holiday marketing. Contact Dina[at]Wordfeeder.com for holiday postcards, press releases, sales pages, newsletter copy, and more.

A Man Named John Dvorak Shares My Hatred for Chat

I just located this article during a Google search and could not resist sharing on the ole copywriting blog:

Death to Chat

by John C. Dvorak

I hate online chatting. I hate the IMs (instant messages), the paging, the PMs (personal messages), the private chats, the open chats, the IRC, AIM, ICQ, and MSN Messenger. I particularly despise the small talk that is an important part of chat, and I loathe all the phone SMS chatting and its entire infrastructure.

Continue reading "Death to Chat"

Top 5 Signs You've Graduated to the Copywriting Big Leagues

Top 5 Signs You've Graduated to the Copywriting Big Leagues - from Dina at Wordfeeder.com

5. No more salivating over "that dream gig."

You've stopped combing the web in search of big-name copywriters who will hopefully land you a sweet gig. Instead, you're scrambling to find that rare breed of writing intern who's "fluent in Madison Avenue" but remains completely unaware of her talent. (Hint: so you can make the best use of her services at the least possible expense).

4. Work is play... every day!

You're no longer worried about whether "someone else's copy sounds better." You would never ask the feeble-minded question, "is this the right way to say it?" Stressing over that perfect headline? Phooey! For you, work is play because you're great at what you do and that makes it effortless. Bring on the heavy artillery copywriting jobs, beeyatch.

3. You've become a walking rate calculator.

Remember when you used to sheepishly tell new copywriting prospects that you'd call them back with a price quote (because you planned to "do the math" in private)? Well, look at you now, Walking Rate Calculator. You can switch back and forth between "by the hour," "by the page," and "by the word" without batting an eye! Not to mention, contract legalese doesn't faze you. Nonbillables? A non-issue.

2. Priorities, priorities...

You've finally crossed over from "how many words is too many words?" to "how many web articles can I squeeze out of this one sentence?" You're thinking in terms of the big-picture now, baby! Instead of quibbling over quotation marks and cringing at commas, you're going with the flow, taking it in stride. You know how to please your clients and keep the checks coming in.

1. You're the boss and you know it!

You know you're in the copywriting big leagues when people begin addressing you as "Boss Lady" or "Boss Man" (and it's not meant in a sarcastic way). How do they know you're The Boss? Because your goal has shifted from "Get enough work this month to make rent" to "What solutions can I think of to keep pumping the work out even though I'm completely swamped as it is?"

When people can instantly sense that you make it happen every day, they automatically put you in charge. And for a copywriter, that means you're on top of the world!

Copyright 2007 Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing. All rights reserved.

 

Three Cheers for Copywriting Clients Who Run With It!

I just checked my "remote inbox" and found a newsletter from a client/colleague who I am particularly fond of. Her ezine is great as always, and it made me smile even more than I normally would after reading what she has to say.

Why the big grin?

The other day, I sent her a quick email, urging her to do a little pitch for her sales letter the next time she sends out her ezine. Because you really do have to nudge your sales page in the direction of people's noses. They're not going to click without a push. And if they did click the first time, but then you repeat the same little ditty for the next six months, they'll likely become desensitized to the message and still won't click.

So anyway, my client did exactly what I was hoping - she found a new and creative way to get people curious. And all it took was just a couple of well-placed lines of copy.

Simple. Smart. That's what I like to see.

Copywriting and Marketing in Need of a Boost?
Wordfeeder.com has your back.

So you want to be a web copywriter?

Do you want to run your own business - in a field of your own choosing?

Do you dream of permanently ditching the cubicle scene?

Well, so did I, and that's why I sacrificed years of my life building a copywriting and marketing presence on the web.

I did it the hard way and jumped without a net... but you don't have to.

There are terrific career coaches out there like Hallie Crawford, who can offer advice, guidance, and a little hand-holding during the surreal experience of transitioning from the working world into the strange yet exhilarating land of entrepreneurial freedom.

For more info on what Hallie can offer you, get it straight from the horse-lover's mouth! (Yes - a fact about Coach Hallie - she loves horses! Out here on the web, you get to know people - it's just neat). But enough from me. Listen to what's going on in Hallie's Career World, and how you can benefit from paying attention!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Career Seekers Mastermind Extravaganza With Hallie Crawford, Career Coach Extraordinaire

 

Do you want answers to your burning career questions such as…

• How do I find out what the ideal job is for me?
• I feel like I’m going in circles in a job I dislike, how do I get unstuck?
• How do I discover what I’m passionate about?
• How can I find my direction?
• I have an idea of what I want to do, what should I do next?

Then join me March 27 & 28 for my Career Seekers Mastermind Event - where you will find the answers!

If you feel like you’re out there alone, spinning around, and are not sure what to do about your career path – this event is for you! It’s going to be a FUN class where you’ll have the opportunity to learn not only from me, but also from your career-seeking peers. Plus you’ll be able to get individualized answers to your specific questions.

What you get

Unlimited access to me, the career coach, and your career seeking peers for 48 hours to get answers to your questions.

PLUS get ideas, guidance and support from the interactive online conversation. Click here to reserve your space today!

What else is cool

Even if you’re unavailable to participate actively, you can keep the conversations and refer to them later on. I will send you a summary of the questions and answers after the event. Everyone who attends will be entered into a drawing for a complimentary 30-minute phone coaching session with me.

Details

Date: March 27-28
Time: 9 am ET March 27 – 5 pm ET March 28
Cost: $14.99

Click here to reserve your space today!

Gnomies Gneed Your Gnowledge

As any opportunist will tell you, it helps to ride in on the "hottest trends" while they're fresh, new, and everyone's looking. At least I think so. Which is why I want to encourage you to start blogging with Lockergnome ASAP.

For those can't see past Lockergnome's former rep as that lovable group of technology buffs and marketing geeks, rest assured they have expanded their content selections to include just about anything you can think of. So, it doesn't matter what your purpose or passion. If you want exposure (or if you want Google Adsense revenue), go directly to this page:

http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/lockergnome/wp-signup.php

...and sign up for your free membership account as an official Lockergnome blogger.

Am I a Lockergnome blogger? Well, yes - I am. I took a brief hiatus over the holidays, because their sudden format switch threw me for a loop and I was swamped with copywriting and marketing business anyway. But now I'm back on board and finding a second home with the Gnome.

If you're interested in learning what type of reputation-building and traffic-generating effects being a blogger on a highly traveled website can have for your own humble web business, just do it: become a Gnomie while the going is good.

A final incentive, quoted directly from Chris Pirillo, Head of Lockergnome.com:

"I’ve already had reports from some of our more prolific writers that their AdSense revenues are triple what they are on their own blog (with less clicks). We’ve done a lot of optimizing."

Well, what are you still reading this for? Get on with you, now! Shoo!

- Dina at Wordfeeder.com