All posts in Promoting Yourself

Top Ways That Can Increase Your Conversion Rate

By | May 28, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Guest Blog, Promoting Yourself | No comments

A handy article from Guest Blogger Margaret, that gives some great tips on how to increase your conversion rates separate from producing better copy. Enjoy!

Traffic density is extremely vital for any website. There are various strategies that webmasters follow to increase the traffic into a particular website and hence make it popular. In this case, it can be mentioned that if you effectively want to make a profit by attracting traffic then you should opt for heightening the conversion rate. This way, even if the number of visitors to your website remains constantly average, you remain at the same position in the page rank listings.

Prerequisites for successful web business

The very first thing that must be kept in mind is the setting and deciding the sole goal of the website you are working for. While designing the website, you should perform a thorough research in the internet. These will help you get ideas to start with the work without any hitches. The ideas may or may not prove helpful when implemented for your website as every website acts differently towards different strategies.

It is often observed that a website has mentioned everything but its main work, motto in the home page. Reflection of your work, goal is extremely important, and one must focus more on the contents of the page rather than its appearance.

Strategies for boosting conversion rates

Make sure the website especially its home page makes a clear impression on the visitors about the goal of the website. Try to avoid including too much information into the home page and concentrate more on the specific motive of the website. If and only if the intentions of the website are clear to the browser, accomplishment of traffic becomes easier.

Web page options layout

According to a survey conducted not long ago, browsers are more likely to click to a link provided in the home page when it is at the end of the content at the left side. After evaluating the performance rate, it was seen that when a sign up option was placed on the left end of the page it had 13 percent more sign ups than when the button was at the right. It is likely that visitors tend to read the entire content first and then opt for the registering option. So during designing make sure, the website follows this layout pattern.

Inclusion of the word “free”

This for sure attracts visitors. When the registration is payable, many people back out. So instead of making it payable or providing a specific trial period, one should give free service. This will increase the conversion rates manifold. According to the surveys, the increment was by about thirty percent.

Visitor details format

When a webmaster tends to indulge a visitor to fill up his contact details, it should be kept into account that the details form must not be too long. If the fields provided are too many the visitor loses interest and at times leaves the task halfway. This is not desirable at all when increasing conversion rates is in the mind.

Try not to over congest the web pages with too much of the information. It is always better to remain precise and focus more on the motive than the rest of the partially important things. If one follows up the above mentioned strategies, the conversion rate is sure to shoot up to the apex.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently did an article on born rich. These days she is busy in writing an article on gizmo watch.

Copywriting: The Essential Business Tool You Should Be Using

By | May 7, 2012 | Copywriting, Freelance Copywriters, Non-Copywriter, Promoting Yourself | 1 Comment

Copywriter

JT Copywriting is celebrating its second year anniversary with a fantastic “25% Off” promotion and an important message.

We’ve all got our own list of what we think the most essential business tools are. However, there’s one that always seems to fly under the radar. The most successful businesses know about it because they’ve used it, but not everyone is aware of it or, more importantly, aware of its amazing benefits.

I am, of course, talking about copywriting. What is copywriting? To put it simply, Copywriting is writing words. You see, whenever a business promotes itself through press releases, adverts, mailshots or newsletters it will need to produce promotional copy, either by writing the words in-house or by hiring a copywriter to do so.

Why should you want to hire a copywriter? James Tennant, owner of JT Copywriting (www.jtcopy.com), puts it this way, “If you think about it, 99% of all communication is done with words. Words are such a powerful and yet oddly underrated tool. Politicians have used the right words to gain control of countries and start wars. It’s obvious to me that the power of the written word is unlimited.”

He goes on: “Whenever a business communicates with its audience and target demographic, they’ll be using words to spread their message. However, without the proper words, that message will go unnoticed, lost among the millions of other messages floating around. That’s where a Copywriter comes in. Copywriters are trained to use words that influence, interest and compel people to buy products and read articles. Their words make some companies millions in profit every year.”

As mentioned, JT Copywriting is celebrating its second year as a business and it is throwing a promotion truly worthy of celebration! – 25% off the hourly rate until July 1st! That’s potentially hundreds of pounds saved on copy that could greatly increase your business’ profits. With such an offer set to create great interest in JT Copywriting’s services, it would be sensible for you to get in touch with James as soon as possible or you might miss out.

James Tennant is the owner of JT Copywriting and is a professional freelance marketing copywriter. He has worked with some of the world’s biggest and best companies (think: eBay, Universal Studios, and Gumtree). He specialises in writing marketing materials that will increase public awareness of your brand and increase your profits. You can access the website at www.jtcopy.com and you can follow James on Twitter: @JT_Copywriting and on facebook: JTCopywriting

Get in touch today via email: contact@jtcopy.com.

The Importance Of Business Cards

By | March 27, 2012 | Copywriting, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | 6 Comments
JT Copywriting Business Cards

Snazzy business card design can give you an edge over your competitors

I was recently privvy to a conversation between several entrepreneurs and copywriters about the importance of business cards. (I’ll admit, I was nosing in on Twitter).

On one side (Party A) it was argued that business cards were essential and that they should be carried around at all times. On the other side (Party B) it was argued that they were an antiquated business tool that was not necessary anymore with the emergence of social media.

Both parties had valid points, however, I find myself agreeing with Party A. Why? Because if I meet someone who I could potentially do business with, I find myself asking if they have a business card a long time before I ask if they have a Twitter account. I also find that carrying someone’s information round on a very portable piece of card to be quite handy when at networking events. I’d rather not ask for a pen and paper to write down someone’s Twitter username.

It was further argued by Party B that if he/she met someone that he/she genuinely wanted to work with, he/she would be chatting with them via social media. There was also some reference made to shredding a load of business cards that had been collected over the years from people he/she never intended to work with. My question at this point would be: Why did you take business cards from people you didn’t want to work with? It doesn’t make sense to me. In the same way that this person would be chatting to a person on twitter if he/she wanted to work with them, I would only collect a business card from someone who I wanted to work with.

To further my point that business cards are essential, we should think outside the box for a moment. Yes business cards hold the information other people need to know about us in order to do business with us. Website addresses, names, numbers, addresses and social media usernames etc. However, they can be so much more. A well designed business card can be an attractive thing, it can be the reason why your card is picked up and not someone elses. It’s basically a tiny advertisment that should reflect the professionalism and quality of your service. We’ve all seen cheap, badly made business cards and I have to admit, those kind of cards have immediately given me a bad impression of the business of the person that gave it to me.

In addition, think about business cards from the point of view of graphic designers, artists and photographers. A business card is a chance to show off their work. On one side you have the vital information. On the other you have a sample of their work perhaps. This is a fantastic way for those in the aforementioned careers to give any prospective clients an idea of how good they are at what they do. It’s also a fantastic conversation starter.

For me the business card is more than just a carrier of information – it’s a chance for you to show people a little bit about who you are.

What about you? Do you believe in the power of the business card or is it just a waste of money and time?

Let’s hear your thoughts!

Networking: 4N or BNI?

By | March 5, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | 3 Comments

For UK business owners there are really only two clear choices when it comes to networking. You can join BNI (Business Network International) or 4N (owned by the fast-talking, enthusiastic author of the ‘Get Off Your Arse’ books, Mr Brad Burton).

What’s the Difference?

The biggest difference is the size of the two organisations. BNI is much, much larger, boasting over 6000 chapters worldwide (over 600 of which are based in the UK). 4N has around a third of that UK number right now but it is expanding.

When it comes to the actual networking, both organisations offer the same vanilla experience. You go in, you chat, you hand out business cards, watch a presentation and then chat some more hoping to build a steady stream of clients through recommendations.

However, there is certainly a contrasting atmosphere at these events. Whereas BNI meet-ups are rather formal, target driven and hardcore, (I speak from first hand experience here) 4N have taken a much more casual approach. That’s not to say one is better than the other, it just depends on how you prefer to do your networking.

Are you networking solely to get more clients? Or are you there to meet people and share advice, insights and stories too?

Personally, I prefer to keep the atmosphere as casual as possible when I’m chatting with my clients so 4N seems like a much better fit for me.

Let’s move on..

What about the prices?

Well as you might expect, BNI membership costs more, but that doesn’t mean it’s better. Let’s have a more in-depth look at those prices:

4N Networking4N

  • Introductory Offer – £200 + VAT for 200 days
  • Yearly Membership – £250 + VAT for 12 Months (One Group)
  • Yearly Passport – £490 + VAT for 12 Months (All Groups)

For me, it’s probably not worth getting that introductory offer. Why? Because if you’re going to invest 200 days into this thing to test it, then you may as well do it for a year and it’s only 50 quid more.

Also, although the passport is a nice idea (it allows you to go to ANY networking meet up in the country) it’s only really worth it if you’re moving around a lot. I can’t imagine too many business owners moving around enough to make that huge 240 increase worth it.

BNI NetworkingBNI

  • BNI joining fee – £100 + VAT
  • BNI membership fee – £400 + VAT for 12 Months
  • Breakfast fee – £42 Per Month

So for your first year of BNI membership it’s going to cost you around £550 + VAT (if you want breakfast every time). Wow. That’s much more expensive that 4N and I’m not really sure where the extra cash is going. By that I mean I don’t know how much bigger the benefits are with BNI that warrant a £300 increase over the 4N price.

Pros and Cons

I think the best way to end this comparison would be a quick pros and cons list.

4N

Pros:

  • Casual + Friendly Atmosphere
  • Cheaper Than BNI
  • Passport Allows You To Attend Any Meetup

Cons:

  • Less Members + Smaller Organisation Than BNI
  • Too Gentle (For those looking for a more hardcore business experience)

BNI

Pros:

  • Massive Organisation – Global
  • Much Higher Potential For New Clients (Because There Are More Members)
  • Structured + Supportive Business Environment

Cons:

  • Too Hardcore + Formal (For those looking for a more relaxed environment)
  • More Expensive Than 4N

So go and check out these two networking groups now if you’re thinking about joining one (which you should be!)

Let me know your thoughts on both groups. Perhaps you’re a part of a networking group that you think is better than 4N or BNI? Let us know!

 

Testimonials And Why You Need Them!

By | February 11, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | 2 Comments

Testimonials are vital business tools

Ahh the testimonial. Along with samples of your work, testimonials are the single most important thing you’ll need to get more work and enjoy more success as a freelance copywriter.

Why? Because any prospective client is going to want proof that you can do what you say you can and one of the best ways to show that you’re not full of hot air is to show them testimonials from past clients.

The testimonial is a vital part of any business and you’re going to need a bunch of them if you want to succeed. Testimonials are easy to read and they highlight your best qualities. The best part is, you’re not the one bragging about the quality of your work and service, it’s other people. And groups of people all saying the same thing is a very powerful persuasive tool.

For example: If I wanted to buy a donut and I heard from 20 people that Donut Shop A sold amazing donuts, then I’d go there and buy one. It’s as simple as that.

You need proof that testimonials are as powerful as I say they are? Look at this report about how adding testimonials to a landing page increased this company’s sales by 34%! Amazing.

Amy Harrison over at HarrisonAmy.com has some great advice about the best way to ask for testimonials right here.

Here’s a snippet from her blog:

Remember, to get a simple but specific testimonial which paints a compelling story for your service, ask your customer to answer the following 3 questions:

  • What problem were they suffering from?
  • How did the product / service help (and were there any surprise bonuses!)
  • What were the specific results?

 

 

Promote Yourself Effectively: Use Benefits To Convince Your Clients

By | January 26, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | 1 Comment

Get out there and promote your business!

So you’re in talks with a potential client about doing some work for them and they have just asked you the dreaded question: Why should I hire you?

For those of you just starting out, it can be a daunting question to answer, especially when you are talking face-to-face.

So what do you say? “Because I can make you more money.” Well of course you can but that sounds like an empty statement. You’re going to need more than that to convince someone to pay you to write their content.

My advice here is for you to practice your answer. In fact, you should keep practicing it and refining it until you have the perfect response memorised. I’d start by writing down the benefits that your customers will profit from if they hire you. For example, let’s say I’m chatting with someone who wants to hire a copywriter to create content for their website.

My three example benefits could be:

  1. I can increase your website’s conversion rates.
  1. I can write copy that arouses interest.
  1. I can make you stand out from the crowd.

Now you have the benefits written down, you need to elaborate and tell your customer what each of those benefits will mean to their business.

So:

  1. A higher conversion rate will mean more visitors are performing your desired action, whether that be sign up to a newsletter, click a link or buy a product or service.
  1. Engaging with your customers is essential. Formal, boring copy will not keep your visitors around for long. By creating interesting copy that demands attention, I can ensure their maintained interest in what you have to tell them. After all, keeping your visitors around is half the battle.
  1. You need to set yourself apart from your competition if you want the public to notice you and remember you. Having unique and fresh copy written by an expert will go a long way towards doing just that. By standing out from the crowd, your business will enjoy increased public awareness and attention.

Now your customer understands why your benefits are worth having, you should explain to them how you are going to do what you say you can. By letting them know your methods, you will sound far more convincing and it lets your potential customer know that you are as qualified as you say you are.

  1. Using the persuasive power of the written word, I will create effective calls-to-action that compel and remind people to perform your desired action.
  1. I will write powerful and dynamic headlines that demand attention and appeal to the natural curiosity within us all. By keeping information relevant, simple and concise, your visitors will enjoy the fact that their questions are being answered and their concerns are being addressed.
  1. I will research your company, your products and your competitors to find out what it is that makes you different as well as what makes you the best option. I will then relay that information to your customers in a way they can understand.

OK so that was just a quick, very unrefined example of how you can practice coming up with an answer that will convince your potential clients to hire you.

Remember that when you are telling people why they should hire you, you should be confident. The positive energy of confidence is contagious and will be attractive to those you are talking to, making them far more likely to trust what you have said and therefore far more likely to hire you.

Hopefully that all made sense and hopefully you have picked up a handy tip that you can use in the future.

What about you? Do you have any tips or techniques to share?

Where Can You Find Copywriting Jobs?

By | January 26, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | No comments

Be proactive when looking for work. Get out there and meet your clients!

Some of you who are just starting out as freelance copywriters might be a little concerned about how you’re going to get your first copywriting job and where you’re going to get it from. You might be asking yourself: “Who hires copywriters?”

The answer is: everyone does.

Think about it, there are millions of companies based all over the world and at some point every one of them is going to need something written.

Direct Creative state that,

the more active sources of copywriter job include banks, financial services, insurance, software, high-tech, agribusiness, construction, manufacturing, and non-profits.

Others likely to offer you a copywriting job include publishers, unions, associations and professional organizations, government agencies, hospitals and health care organizations, scientific / technical / scholarly organizations, consumer groups, political and religious organizations, fundraisers, and business people and politicians who make speeches.

So you see there are plenty of companies waiting to hear from you. The only problem is, with so many companies out there, it’s hard to know where to start. My advice would be to start local. Email local businesses, set up meetings and make them aware of your business and your talents. Most companies don’t know that they could benefit from a copywriter until the copywriter shows up and tells them. If your credentials are good enough then you have every chance of getting a project out of anyone.

Advertising and Marketing agencies are great places to find work too. In my experience they often need freelance copywriters to outsource work to, so make yourself known to them.

You should also target web designers and try to strike up a strategic alliance with them. Why? Well, they deal with clients that may need a copywriter to create content to go on their new site and you deal with clients that might want a website to go along with their new copy. By referring each others businesses to your respective clients, you could both gain more work. It’s a win-win situation.

So don’t be disheartened by the big bad world. There’s plenty of work out there, you just have to be proactive in getting it.

6 Proven Cost-FREE Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Website!

By | January 15, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Copywriting, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | 11 Comments

copyright - dtseo.ducttapeseo.net

You have written the copy for your website and spent hours designing it to look perfect. Finally it is ready to go and everything seems great. However, it is usually at this point that a familiar story starts to unfold. You look at the traffic going to your site and you see that it is virtually non-existent. You wait a month or two and hope for things to pick up but they don’t. Now you start to ask yourself two very important questions:

How are you going to sell your services if no-one ever visits your website? And how are you going to stand out from the countless number of websites out there?

Well you could go and hire an SEO specialist and let them boost your page rank for you. While that is a great idea and certainly one you should look into, there are also some great cost-free ways you can help yourself. I picked up these methods when I decided to take some responsibility for my own low traffic numbers and they really have made a difference.

1. Start Your Own Blog – Starting a blog is a great way to create awareness of your brand. It provides you with a platform to show off your skills and creates a place where your visitors can interact with you. Use the blog to promote your website and services, but don’t overdo it. Remember: content is key. Provide your audience with valuable information and interesting articles as often as you can. As your blog grows, more people will start to recognise you as an expert in the field of copywriting and will be more likely to visit your website and hire you.

2. Guest Post On A Blog – Comment on blogs that are on similar topics to your own website. Doing this means they are more likely to visit your page. However, don’t constrain yourself. Write on a number of different websites – this will help widen your audience. This way you can expose yourself to lots of new readers and bring them back to your website.

3. Comment On Blog Posts – Maximise your exposure by being the first to comment. If you don’t comment first it’s not a problem, just make sure to include a link back to your website (most comment forms have a field in which you can do this) when you do write your comment. Ensure you provide valuable, insightful comments that will generate interest. Write with confidence

4. Exchange Links – Build connections and develop relationships with other copywriters and businesses that relate to copywriting (advertising and web design companies for example) and share links with them.

5. Write Articles and Tutorials – Write articles and tutorials that show off your expert knowledge and submit them to article directories as well as some of the best websites and blogs that relate to copywriting and marketing. This will help build your reputation as an expert in your field, something which is very valuable to all copywriters.

6. Get involved on social media sites – I can’t stress this one enough. Become as active as you can on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon and Digg (along with many more) and you will be able to reach an audience that numbers in the hundreds of millions. However, you shouldn’t just use these social media sites to promote your website and services all the time. Use them to engage with your clients and potential customers on a more casual level as well. If you can talk about a variety of different topics then you’ll appeal to a larger crowd and be far more interesting to follow.

This blog is about learning together so, if you think I’ve nattered on about absolute rubbish, just let me know. Also, if you have any great tips to add to mine, please let us all know!

How to attract clients WITHOUT a copywriting portfolio.

By | January 14, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Copywriting, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | No comments

New freelance copywriters need pay attention to this one.

You might be sitting there wondering how on earth you are going to attract your first client when you have not completed project before. It is the very definition of a catch 22 situation. You want work to add to a portfolio but your potential clients want to see a portfolio before they give you any work.

Horrible. I know because I was in that situation once too, just like every other freelance copywriter out there.

How did I get past that issue? The answer is quite simple really. I wrote.

I wrote example home pages for websites that I believed were badly written. I wrote sales letters for companies that I believed might want to increase their profits and customer numbers (that is every company by the way). I also re-wrote adverts that I thought were not effective enough.

Once I had done this I contacted the companies whose copy I had edited and showed them a snippet of what I had done. Some of them told me they were not interested but some of them realised that great copy is essential for a business to succeed. Because I had shown them I was capable of writing that copy, I did not need a portfolio to prove I could perform for them and so I was hired without previous experience.

Using that technique I got my hands on my very first client and after completing that first project I had the beginning of a portfolio along with a superb testimonial.

So take the advice and get writing. Be confident about your talents and then use your skills to sell yourself to companies that need you. Believe me, they are out there.

Meeting potential clients will yield the best results.

Bare in mind that you are going to have to be very proactive if you want to succeed using this method (and if you want to succeed as a freelance copywriter in general). You can’t just sit there waiting for a reply to your email or phone call. If they aren’t replying to you then try to set up a meeting. You should always aim to meet your potential clients face-to-face.  This will give you the best chance of convincing them to hire you.

Discussion time!

How Can You Get More Clients? Part 1

By | January 13, 2012 | Advice & Insight, Copywriting, Freelance Copywriters, Promoting Yourself | 2 Comments

Today we are going to get stuck into one of the biggest problems that copywriters face as I see it. That problem is making your services so attractive and so necessary to every business that arrives at your website that you end up in the position where your inbox is crammed full of requests and your phone is ringing off the hook.

Let’s break this whole thing down.

First of all, what must a copywriter need to attract clients?

  • A website
  • A portfolio
  • Client testimonials

I believe the three examples above are the bare minimum a copywriter needs to try and get more clients. For those of you that are just starting out, I understand that you might not have a portfolio or any client testimonials but bare with me, I will be discussing that problem tomorrow.

However, even with a great portfolio and a whole bunch of client testimonials, some businessmen and women out there need to see more. They need to see absolute proof that you will increase their sales and profits and that, my friends, means using figures.

copyright – blog.creattica.com

Now, from the research I have done so far, I can find no copywriter that includes such evidence on his or her website. There are no percentages and no charts or graphs.

I’m not saying that you need more than a website, portolfio and testimonials to get work, I am just saying that if we could prove with figures what we say we can do, then we could be attracting an even larger number of potential clients.

I’d love to hear any ideas you might have concerning this topic. What figures can we use? How can we present those figures and where can we get them from?

Discuss.