Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!
The companion monthly
ezine to ÒThe Well-Fed WriterÓ (http://www.wellfedwriter.com), the quadruple-award-winning how-to guide. Serving up food for
thought and tasty tips for the prospering FLCW*. Come on in, sit anywhere and
bring your appetite!
*FLCW, peppered
throughout the ezine, stands for ÒFreelance Commercial WriterÓ – anyone
who freelances for businesses (vs. writing magazine articles, short stories,
poetry, etc.), typically earns $50-125+ an hour, and is the sole focus of this
e-newsletter.
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VOLUME
11, ISSUE 1 – APRIL 2012 – Our 120th Issue!
Publishing
the first Tuesday of every month since May 2002
Read
it Online at: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine/april2012.html
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2012
NON-FICTION WRITERÕS CONFERENCE COMING in MAY (50% OFF NOW)!
IÕm
speaking on commercial freelancing at this virtual gathering featuring an amazing
line-up from the writing and publishing worlds. Grab your ticket (and for 50%
off!) at https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=1067934&c=ib&aff=56896&cl=104434
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ÒTHE
WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHER BLOGÓ IS NOW LIVE!!
Long
overdue, but finally up and running. To weigh on the welcome post and
subscribe, visit http://www.wellfedsp.com/blog
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SOCIAL
MEDIA SUCCESS SUMMIT 2012 – GRAB YOUR SEAT at 50% OFF!
Michael
StelznerÕs events are some of the most recommended in the industry. Check out
his latest (+ save BIG) at http://www.whitepapersource.com/cmd.php?Clk=4646054.
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PARTNER
WITH DESIGNERS FOR A LOW-EFFORT FLOW OF WRITING JOBS!
Details
here: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/partnerwithdesignersebook.shtml.
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NEW 1-ON-1 COACHING PROGRAMS: SAMPLE/SITE REVIEW
& ÒSIDECARÓ!
Low-cost peace of mind and guidance: http://wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
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Check out The WELL-FED
WRITER BLOG! Weigh in on ÒSpeak Up and Grow Your Copywriting BusinessÓ; ÒTake a
Customer Service Lesson from This Amazing Company,Ó and more! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog.
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THIS
MONTHÕS MENU:
I. WELCOME APPETIZER: REINVENTING THE (MARKETING) WHEEL??
Successful Marketing Firm Reaffirms the Blindingly Obvious Truth
About Marketing
II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: ARE YOU LIVING
BY THE Ò1 in 10Ó INSIGHT?
Marketing Pro Shares Story of
Japanese Novelist/Bar OwnerÕs Approach to Success
III. MAIN
ÒMEATÓ COURSE: ARE YOU TAPPING INTO THE POWER OF SEO?
Atlanta FLCW Discovers Small Changes to Copywriting Site Yield BIG
Results!
IV. DESSERT: Sweet
Success Stories and Tips
New MN FLCW Discovers Writing Competition IsnÕt As Stiff As She
Thought!
TIP: Low/No-Cost Screen Recording Program Allows Easy How-To Video
Creation!
V. COFFEE, MINTS AND
TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook Serves Up the
ÒHow-ToÓ!
- THE WELL-FED E-PUB
NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The WELL-FED WRITER
BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get
Bonus CD!
- How Can
My Mentoring Service Serve You?
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I. WELCOME APPETIZER: REINVENTING THE (MARKETING) WHEEL??
Successful Marketing Firm Reaffirms the Blindingly Obvious Truth
About Marketing
So, check it out. ThereÕs
this successful marketing firm here in Atlanta thatÕs been around for years.
IÕm on their emailing list, and a few weeks back, I get an email with the
subject line: ÒCalling All Marketers: STOP SELLING.Ó I read down and get to this:
Ò[B]uyers are in control
of the sales process – so understanding what makes them tick is
essential. However, as B2B marketers, it seems weÕve lost sight of this
critical point. ItÕs understandable. In recent years, weÕve been bombarded with
the mandate to drive ever more leads through email marketing, overwhelmed by
the social media du jour, and enthralled by the promise of marketing
automation.
ÒSimply put, we took our
eyes off the ball. We know effective marketing starts and ends with the buyer. ItÕs
time to stop selling and start listening to the buyer. ItÕs time to embrace
buyer-driven marketing. STOP SELLING.
START LISTENING.Ó
I love that.
ÒBuyer-driven marketing.Ó An ancient and foundational cornerstone of sales and
marketing, and theyÕve coined a buzzword for it, like itÕs some new concept.
Also smiled at the reference
to Òsocial media du jour.Ó How true. It has its place, no question, but many
are finally realizing that, gee, yÕmean aaaaaaalll the other age-old,
time-tested marketing strategies out there arenÕt in fact, obsolete? Who
knew?
HereÕs the best part
(referring to the revolutionary Òbuyer-driven marketingÓ idea):
ÒThis way of thinking
places buyers and their needs at the center of all marketing priorities.
Understanding what buyers care about, how they make their decisions, and how
they want to receive information, makes marketing about them, not about us.Ó
Excuse me, but did I just
stumble into a Marketing 101 class? And this (successful) firm is speaking,
presumably, to other successful companies and marketing folk, and has to remind
them that itÕs important to focus on whatÕs important to the buyer (benefits),
not just what we want to tell (sell) the buyer (features)? Truly amazing.
I keep telling you. Big,
happeninÕ companies do NOT have it all figured out. Quit putting the mantle of
ultimate wisdom, knowledge and marketing savvy on all business entities, just
assuming theyÕre SO much smarter than you. Just not so.
Get a good handle on the
three cornerstone concepts of sales and marketing (i.e., Audience,
Features/Benefits and Unique Selling Proposition) discussed in Chapter 3 of
TWFW, and youÕll be ahead of many marketing people. On that happy note, letÕs
eat!
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II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: ARE YOU LIVING
BY THE Ò1 in 10Ó INSIGHT?
Marketing Pro Shares Story of
Japanese Novelist/Bar OwnerÕs Approach to Success
Yet another cool edition (12/7/11) of marketing maven Marcia
YudkinÕs Marketing Minute (to subscribe, http://www.yudkin.com/markmin.htm),
this one about realizing that you canÕt (and donÕt WANT to be) all things to
all people in your business. Enjoy!
ÒA lot of customers came to the bar. If one out of ten
enjoyed the place and said he'd come again, that was enough. If one out of ten
was a repeat customer, the business would survive. To put it the other way, it
didn't matter if nine out of ten didnÕt like my bar. This realization lifted a
weight off my shoulders.
ÒStill, I had to make sure that the one person who did like
the place REALLY liked it. In order to make sure he did, I had to make my
philosophy and stance clear-cut, and patiently maintain that stance no matter
what.Ó
So writes Haruki Murakami, one of my favorite novelists,
about what he learned owning a jazz club in Tokyo for ten years. A few things
follow from his brilliant insight:
1) Don't be bland. Take a stand. Help folks understand what
they'll experience differently doing business with you.
2) Let the 90 percent drift away. Serve your 10 percent to
the best of your ability.
3) When you hear criticism about what youÕre not, smile.
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III. MAIN
ÒMEATÓ COURSE: ARE YOU TAPPING INTO THE POWER OF SEO?
Atlanta FLCW Discovers Small Changes to Copywriting Site Yield BIG
Results!
Had a most enlightening lunch a few months
back with fellow Atlanta FLCW Don Sadler (http://www.donsadlerwriter.com).
HeÕd been quite successful optimizing his site for the search engines, given
his writing niche. I asked him to share his process, and here it is. Something
to seriously consider if you too have a writing specialty. Enjoy!
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Many FLCWÕs use websites in lieu of resumes
or printed brochures, as it makes it easy to share background, experience and
samples with clients and prospects. But using your site just as an online
brochure just scratches the surface of its potential as a powerhouse marketing
tool. I discovered this after my site had been up for nearly two years.
IÕd been mainly using my site as a place to
send prospects IÕd cultivated mostly offline (referrals, networking, etc.),
rather than using it as a lead generation tool. Then, about this time last
year, I started learning more about search engine optimization (SEO).
The light bulb went off: Why not try some simple
SEO copywriting techniques on my site and see if I could boost my search engine
rankings? I spent maybe a day working on this and excitedly posted my new
search engine optimized homepage copy.
Boom
— I started seeing results almost immediately! A steady stream of calls and emails started coming in from prospects
within a couple of weeks of "SEOing" my homepage's
copy. And it hasn't let up since.
I got two great leads IN ONE AFTERNOON a few weeks
ago and another two
this week. I always ask prospects how they found my website, and they always say they did a search for one
of my optimized keyword phrases. My website now consistently ranks in the top 3
organic results for my optimized keyword phrases on Google, Bing and
Yahoo.
So how did I do it? It was so simple itÕs
almost embarrassing.
First, I
tried to think of keywords and phrases a prospect might use to find a freelance
writer in my niche. I made a list of
potential keywords and phrases, went to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, plugged
them in, and saw how frequently these actual words and phrases are used
in real Google searches.
I settled
on two keyword search phrases, then went
back and rewrote my homepage copy using these phrases as early and
as often as possible, without going overboard.
That's
it. Nothing complicated or time-consuming, and it didn't require any technical sophistication. Virtually all
of my leads now come from prospects who found my website via a keyword search. And best of all, it doesn't cost me a dime.
This
technique will work best if you specialize in a certain type of
writing—in my case, business and finance. My optimized keyword phrases
use these words, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out how many clients
search the web specifically for this kind of writing specialty.
Hey, why
not give it a try? Optimizing your websiteÕs copy could transform your site
from a static online brochure into a powerful lead generator.
Don Sadler is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in business
and financial topics. He creates targeted content for websites, magazines,
newsletters, corporate collateral and more. Learn more and sign up for his
monthly e-newsletter at http://www.donsadlerwriter.com.
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IV. DESSERT: Sweet
Success Stories and Tips
New MN FLCW Discovers Writing Competition IsnÕt As Stiff As She
Thought!
TIP: Low/No-Cost Screen Recording Program Allows Easy How-To Video
Creation!
Got this great email about standing out from the competition
from budding MN FLCW Carolyn Sampson (http://www.sampsoncommunications.com).
As sheÕs discovering, it really isnÕt that hard to separate yourself from the
herd. Put another way, while your web site doesnÕt have to be a work of art, is
it conveying a professional image? After
that is a nifty tip about a low-cost, on-screen recording tool from Portland,
OR FLCW Mike Russell (http://www.pivotalwriting.com). Enjoy!
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Peter: I had to write today to thank you for the wonderful
resources youÕve provided. I'd never even be thinking about this without your
step-by-step plan.
I knew you were probably right that itÕs not hard to
outshine the competition (IÕve found that to be somewhat true even in the
corporate world). But then I saw dozens of people listed on freelance sites and
I got worried. Tonight I spent time looking at some of them more closely and,
good grief, every one I looked at was terrible!
There were links to websites that no longer worked and ones
that were horribly designed. One woman, trying to be clever, gave rate
information and a sentence about reminder notices showing up in their email if
they don't pay. Are these people serious? I can't wait to be one of the success
stories in the next edition of The Well-Fed Writer!
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Peter: http://screencast-o-matic.com/ is a
cheaper alternative for producing Òhow-toÓ screencasts (creating video
recordings of whateverÕs on your computer screen), which is a great way to
harness video for SEO. While similar software like Screenflow or Camtasia runs
$99+, Screencast-o-maticÕs basic version is F.R.E.E. (great for testing it)
while their full-featured version is only $12 a year.
AND, there's no software to install.
Admittedly, you get what you pay for (less powerful, fewer options), but this
could be a helpful option for those folks on tighter budgets and with less
demanding requirements.
I've made one video with it (viewable
at http://pivotalwriting.com/how-to-write-a-professional-bio-1/),
and would love to get my fellow FLCWs' feedback on it (send to mike@pivotalwriting.com). With
minimal editing options, SOM forces you to have your spiel/presentation down
pat. However, I've had enough results from that humble video to encourage me to
keep 'make more videos' on my to-do list.
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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND
TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook Serves Up the
ÒHow-ToÓ!
- THE WELL-FED E-PUB
NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The WELL-FED WRITER
BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get
Bonus CD!
- How Can
My Mentoring Service Serve You?
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MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook Serves Up the
ÒHow-ToÓ!
ThatÕs not hype. ItÕs how my business has worked for the
better part of 18 years, thanks to some juicy partnerships with graphic
designers. The result? 1-2 jobs virtually every month with little or no effort
on my part. And I put all the how-to details down on paper. Check it out at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/partnerwithdesignersebook.shtml.
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IÕM
SERIOUSLY LOW ON ALL WELL-FED E-PUB COURSES!
Got a great strategy,
approach or specific expertise youÕre willing to share? Turn it into a Feature
(MAIN COURSE) for the EPUB (500-600 words; query first). ALSO, send your ÒGREENSÓ
(200-300 words), TIPS (150-200) and SUCCESS STORIES (100-300) to peter@wellfedwriter.com. Archived issues at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine.shtml.
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The
WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
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AWAI COPYWRITING (& OTHER) COURSES: Register Here, Get
Your Choice of Bonus CD Program! Six-Figure Copywriting, Graphic Design,
Internet Writing, Fundraising, Health Market and more! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/awai.shtml.
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HOW CAN MY MENTORING SERVICE SERVE YOU?
For details and testimonials, visit http://www.wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
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