Words to the Wise

Some days, it seems like all I get in my inbox are questions. I find myself answering questions about copywriting, questions about marketing, questions about search engines.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the questions. In fact, I welcome them…although sometimes I get people who just pick my brain with no intention of hiring me. I weed these people out with some carefully worded follow-up questions.

Regardless, I figured my blog would be a great place to talk about some of these questions and share my knowledge and experience with you. Some of the questions are technical, some are personal, and some you’ll just have to figure out for yourself.

1. What did you study in college to become a freelance copywriter? Good question. In my final year of high school, I had to decide what I would study in college. Since I truly had no idea what I wanted to be, I decided that PR would give me a foundation and skillset that I could leverage the most. But even though I studied PR, my most important lessons have been learned in life. There’s no class that teaches you how to navigate your way through the freelance world. I truly do learn something new every day.

2. Have you ever thought about leaving the world of freelance copywriting and getting a full-time job working for someone else? Yes! If any freelancer tells you otherwise, I’ll bet money their lying to impress you. While there are certainly times I think about leaving my freelance copywriting gig, these times are usually short-lived thanks to some good friends and colleagues. I’m very independent and can only work for certain types of bosses…the ones who are the most like me. Go figure.

3. What’s your methodology for reviewing websites? Good question. One of the first things I do when I review a website is to look at the message it sends. Your website either says you’re professional or you’re not. After looking at the overall message, I look at the content you have - its navigation, usefulness, purpose and length. Then I get into technical aspects, like keyword choice, title tags, descriptions, etc. If you’ve had your website reviewed and want a second opinion, let me know.

4. Do you use any special software to write copy? Not really. I use Word for 90% of the work I do. I also use a program called CopyWrite for some projects that have multiple elements, chapters etc. Some days, I just close my computer, pick up and number 2 pencil and write.

5. Why are you such a critic of podcasting? Let’s clarify here. I never said I dislike or don’t see any value in podcasting. I DO however say that there are some really BAD podcasts out there. Most podcasts are recorded by PR agencies who don’t have the time, manpower or experience to truly grasp podcasting for the opportunity that it is. Podcasts aren’t ‘off the cuff’ conversations. If they are, then chances are they’re worthless. You can view some of my other blog posts to get more of my opinion on this topic.

I used to travel - A LOT.

In fact, over one 10-month period, I flew more than 65,000 miles in the US and Canada. But that was nearly ten years ago. I rather like my life now, working out of my home office and rarely laying eyes on a client.

But when I do travel, it brings me back to those days on the road and in the air when I’d give just about anything for a little rejuvenation and serenity.

Embassy Suites has apparently read my mind in this regard, and has come up with Embassy Business Balance. It’s a website dedicated to traveling smarter to help you become more efficient, effective and best of all - happy.

I was talking to a client/friend of mine the other day when she mentioned that the more she tries to learn things about marketing and ‘web tech stuff’, the more overwhelmed she gets.

She went on to differentiate between being an entrepreneur and being self-employed, placing herself in the self-employed category. And she makes a very good argument for the differentiation.

She points out that, as a self-employed person, she has little choice but to learn and do just about every component of her business since she (and quite frankly, many other self-employed people in America) doesn’t have enough money to pay others.

The catch-22, as she points out, is that she’s doing it all herself, which limits the time she has for other activities - including core business.

So the theory here is that if a business owner does all it takes to market, brand, write and promote their business, then they’re really in the marketing, branding, writing, and promotions business. Right?

As a freelance copywriter, I’m lucky (I think) in that much of the promoting I do for myself is based in, of course, copywriting. Whether I’m writing an email to prospective clients, or writing a blog post here for you to read, my core business matches well to my marketing and promotions.

But my friend isn’t so lucky. Don’t get me wrong, she’s great at what she does. I almost ventured into her industry after college, and it can be a very specialized and lucrative field. I think for my client, what would take her from ’self-employed’ to ‘entrepreneur’ is the one thing she mentioned early on - money. Money is the lifeblood of business. With money, you can hire someone to do your marketing, create your website and do all the things you don’t have the time to learn and do.

The point of all this? There is a difference between being an entrepreneur and being self-employed, but you’ll always be working for yourself.

So, it’s the end of yet another year of planning, working, writing, editing, testing, blogging, podcasting and all the other fun things I get to do for my clients as well as for my freelance business. Looking back one year ago at this time causes me to see some very notable diferences the past year has made:

- A year ago, I didn’t have a blog. Now, I have two, and another one planned for early 2008.

- A year ago, my home office was half the size of my current office. I even have a window now.

- A year ago, the only presence I had on the web was my website. Today I have the site, the blogs, a social media press room, a social networking presence and much more.

So what happened over the past 365 days? Well, I went for it. I took action. I made the calls, sent the emails, took the chances and completed the projects.

I couldn’t have done it without the help of my loyal clients, friends, mentors and students.

To all of you, I say Happy Holidays and all the best in 2008!

Jason

Ps. If you’re reading this, and you’re not signed up to receive updates in your inbox, I encourage you to sign up so you don’t miss anything in 2008.

You know, some days even I don’t get it right. I have (or had) a client who wanted me to write four pages for their website based on four articles they had previously written for some print marketing. The website revolves around a real estate service that caters to For Sale By Owner sellers. I took the information, feedback and direction the client had provided, and wrote the best copy I could for them.

They didn’t like it. And in fact, they flat out stated they wouldn’t even use my copy.

Now, this isn’t the first time this has happened to me (if you find a copywriter who tells you they’ve never had a client hate their work, they’re lying). After the initial shock wore off, I looked inward to figure out what to do.

So what DO you do qwhen this happens? Well, if you’re the copywriter, you step back and look at the input and information. Is there something you missed? Is there something you misinterpreted? What can you do to correct the situation while still turning a profit for your time?

If you’re the client, you have a responsibility as well. Were you clear with the direction and guidance you offered? Were your expectations realistic and well-defined?

Many situations that involve dissatisfied clients come down to miscommunication and unrealistic expecations. And, even if things can’t be resolved in a way that completes the project, it doesn’t mean that the client and the copywriter just drop the project and go on their merry ways without some money changing hands. Time is valuable on both sides of the client-copywriter equation. The copywriter has invested time and effort into a project, and a resolution must be found that involves compensation. As a colleague of mine puts it: “If you buy a car and you don’t drive it, you still have to pay for the car.”

With my freelance copywriting service, I always try to get as much information about a project BEFORE I start. I ask a lot of questions, research the market, and make sure I have every piece of info relevant to the task at hand. And I’ll always do my best to complete your project the way you want it: on-target, on-time and on-budget.