Blogfeeder - The Copywriting and Marketing Blog from Wordfeeder.com

A Great SEO Course - for Copywriters and Others

I write copy for the web, so it's important for me to a. understand SEO, and b. stay abreast of the ever-evolving changes occuring with the search engines. SEO is the antithesis of what every "creative" copywriter ever dreamed their career would be. And yet, if you write for the web, you can't ignore it.

A couple of days ago I purchased Stephanie Cockerl's SEO Training Course. It was mentioned on Lori Davis's virtual assistance newsletter and I thought hey, why not. Steph's a good girl and seems to know what she's doing. I'm going to check this out.

So far, I really like what I see! The first day I learned something new, and the second day I learned something new again. I'm pretty sure Day 3 was more of the same. Today is Day 4 of my SEO content creation course with Steph. The lesson was something I was already aware of, but nevertheless a good reminder. It's so easy to forget the little things when you're running hither and thither trying to manage a web business on your own.

Copywriters and do-it-yourself business owners will really appreciate the material Steph includes in her SEO training course. So give yourself a gift this wretched winter and sign up! You'll be a search engine-optimizing fool in no time.

YES! Every website that Wordfeeder.com creates contains copy that will help you be found by folks who use the search engines. Don't accept any less from anyone who calls themselves a copywriter for the web.

Love,
Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Ezine Tips from the Copywriting Chick

Just a couple of quick ezine tips from the copywriting and marketing chick this morning.

Ezine Tip 1. Make sure new subscribers get a copy of this month's issue IMMEDIATELY.

Many of my clients and associates have accounts with Aweber Communications or 1ShoppingCart.com. You know how the program goes. New subscriber signs up, gets the confirmation link, clicks it and then has to wait X amount of days until you send your next issue.

No need to make them wait. Most of the standard email newsletter services offer an autoresponder to use with each list. Utilize this feature and give your new readers instant gratification. Here's how it's done.

a. Create your next issue (say it's October) in HTML, paste the code into their submission box and send to your list as you normally would.

b. Go to the area where you can create autoresponders for that subscriber list. Paste the SAME CODE (your October newsletter issue) into that box and save.

c. Even if new people sign up AFTER you've already mailed out the October newsletter, they can STILL have that issue automatically delivered to their inbox.

Make sense? I thought it did.

DON'T FORGET to update the autoresponder each time you publish a new issue. This way, someone who signs up for your list on, say, November 15th will not be receiving the old October newsletter issue when they should be getting November.

Ezine Tip 2: Contain your subscriber sign-up form on its own page.

This way, if you ever change elements of the sign-up form (maybe one day you add a field that says "How'd you find us?" like I did), you'll only have to do it in ONE place. You can also create an attention-grabbing graphic to place on the homepage and other places so people will get that urge to CLICK and then sign up.

While I'm here:

Missed the last issue of Word Food: the Copywriting and Marketing Newsletter from Wordfeeder.com?
No worries... I've got it for you right here:

October Word Food: Create a Company Press Kit

Happy Monday!

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Copywriting Secrets: What You Missed

Hungry for inspiration? Need no-nonsense copywriting advice to help bring your next project up to speed?

You missed the last issue of Word Food: the Copywriting and Marketing Ezine from Wordfeeder.com. But don't let that stop me from giving it all away anyway! Read our September feature right here:

Editing and Writing Tips that Will Have Your Book or E-book Flying off the Shelves

While you're here, why not stop in to my other blog, Copywriting on the Fly and check out my latest philosophical ramblings - Copywriting Weapon: The God Complex.

Need copywriting backup support? Email Dina@Wordfeeder.com for a project quote today.

Copywriting Boot Camp is Back!

Last summer, we had a great first run for our annual Web Copy Gone Wild Copywriting Boot Camp from Wordfeeder.com.

I received some valuable feedback from boot campers, assuring me that the exercises were well-developed, organized, realistic, and sufficiently challenging. Recruits came away armed with powerful new writing weapons for selling success.

This year, boot camp is back!

Don't miss your chance to get half off the price of 7 intense, straight-from-the-advertising-books copywriting lessons by email.

Who can benefit from Web Copy Gone Wild Copywriting Boot Camp?

• Copywriters-in-training and new writers who want to get a leg up on their competitors
• People considering a degree in advertising and writing
• Small business owners who want to "do it themselves"
• Writers who want to cross over into the realm of advertising
• Advertising professionals who would like to retrain toward a possible future promotion

Why "attend" copywriting boot camp?

• Nab the techniques. Class covers the how-to's of persuasive copywriting that sells.
• Hone your skills. Our hands-on exercises are imaginative and inspiring.
• Create real-life copy on the fly. Lessons double as a branding kit for your business.
• Do them on your own time. Classes arrive once per week for 7 weeks via email.
• Test the waters. A great way to experience a day in the working life of a copywriter.
• Justify higher fees. Why make $25 per hour when you can make $100 per hour?
• Get personal support. Receive assistance and feedback on your lessons via email.

Warning: these copywriting lessons are NO JOKE.

I'm sharing with you the exact methods and formulas I use to create professional websites and marketing materials for my clients every single day. If you're seriously considering the field of advertising copywriting, it's worth getting an inside peek at what will be expected of you via these drills. And a little extra practice never hurt anybody. (I even brushed up on my own copywriting skills while designing the curriculum.)

Important: you will derive the highest benefit from copywriting boot camp if you are a motivated, detail-oriented self-starter.

Once the weekly lesson arrives in your email inbox, it's up to you to take the initiative. Set aside time to study and practice each one. Complete all exercises from start to finish. Work through each "true-to-life" copywriting assigment based on the fictitious audience I provide in the lesson. Then, use the same drill a second time to create marketing materials for your own small business!

Let me know how it's going.

You are welcome to contact me with questions and feedback at ANY time; however, I will not be "coaching" or pushing you as that is not how the "real world" works and pushy is not my style.

The cost of these lessons is less than $60... that's equivalent to a pair of designer jeans. This summer, why not do something great for your mind, your business or career, and your future?

Sign up for Web Copy Gone Wild Copywriting Boot Camp from Wordfeeder.com.

For more information, visit http://wordfeeder.com/bootcampsalesletter.htm

(Price doubles on September 10th and class runs for a limited time only - so grab your spot today!)

New Copywriting Article on My Other Blog

If you're interested in mastering the finer points of headline and subhead creation, then take a look at my latest article over on Copywriting on the Fly!

There are certain rules that should not be broken when crafting matching headlines and subhead pairs. Find out about one of the major rules in Writing Headlines and Subheads that Work Together.

Thanks!

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Are you looking for the linking opp?

Do you self-manage a blog on the web? If so, you may have a few interesting tidbits in the sidebar of your blog. Links to this and that, resources, friends, and that sort of thing.

Linking to others is great. It's all part of the "shared community" blogosphere thing. Helps keep your online relations friendly.

However, I do want to point out something. If you're linking to your own material, i.e. articles that YOU wrote, you should really link to YOUR OWN WEBSITE.

Case in point: a few clients of mine recently decided to add links to their blogs which go to their articles on IdeaMarketers.com.

This would be okay if the links were from a single post - perhaps a friendly "shout out" to IdeaMarketers.com for all the great service they provide.

However, if they're permanent links, i.e. in the sidebar, they should point to your own stuff. YOUR website. And there should be keywords in the titles of those articles - keywords that you want people to "ding" on and follow to your main website.

Google knows ALL the keyword links that point from "other sites" (and if your blog is hosted on Typepad, then that counts as an "other site") back to yours. It "counts" all those keyword links. Later, when outsiders type your keywords into Google, if you have a lot of link love, you pop up on page 1, 2, or hopefully somewhere in the top ten.

So it makes sense to link strategically whenever possible.

You need much more link love than the big websites out there. So DO remember to link "in" from the outside. This is your goal - ALWAYS look for the linking opp in everything you do online.

The Big Daddy Websites are always giving you pats on the back for linking to your stuff on THEIR websites, because THEY KNOW THE SECRET. When you keyword-link to them, they go higher on the search engines.

And now you know the secret too. So the next step is to use the information. In fact - this is not a request. THIS IS AN ORDER.

1. Get your website together - organize it, make it beautiful, keep adding articles

2. Keyword-link to those articles from your blog and other places.

Okay?

Thanks!

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing (note the keyword link)

High Communication, Low Concentration Day

Did you ever have one of those high communication, low concentration days? Trying to get things done, but your head's just not into it, and furthermore the phone keeps ringing and emails keep flying in? This is one of those days. The sun is shining, Dina's totally distracted. You've been there, am I right?

Don't get me wrong - communication is good. God knows, without it we marketing and copywriting people would be up a creek without a paddle. I'm starting to feel like there's a lot of mental chatter going on in my head right now. I think that's a sign - it's telling me, "Get out of the office! Get in the car and open up the sun roof!" Soon enough, my blog friends.

While I'm here, before I forget - I've gotten some recent inquiries about marketing on the web with articles. One thing that I really do not broadcast enough information about is my ebook - Article Power. Yes, it's a tacky name - but if you want a sneak peek at what's inside, click the Article Power Sales Page, scroll down, and open up the pdf file that I've attached. You'll get to read the contents of every single chapter so you won't be left wondering what you might receive if you choose to buy it.

To sweeten the pot even more, I've even revealed the first several pages of the ebook - right there, for free! Just for YOU. Go now - I'm telling you, this is the system that I used to build a name for myself on the web. Anyone from any line of work will benefit from this information. Not to mention, I'm told it's a very inspirational piece of literature.

Go on - learn a new trick, get a plan going and make it happen for your business. It's almost April, the flowers are beginning to bloom, everyone's coming out of their caves and the ideas are flowing like wine! Strike while the iron is hot.

Dina, author of Article Power: Create Dynamite Articles and Watch Your Sales Explode!

The Google Keyword Tool

The first thing you should do before you build a website: keyword research!

Here's a tool that Google has thoughtfully provided to help you along in your mission:

Google's Keyword Tool

Find out what people are searching for and then make sure you have that in your keyword copy, links and meta-tags - on EVERY page of your website!

Dina at Wordfeeder.com - Marketing and Copywriting for the Masses

 

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