Clerical Officer

Basic to create ad copy that just flood you copy from a web site designed with cash in hand ready to buy customers is copycat of the interview process between you and the copywriter. After the research and making dynamite campaign all came from collecting important information about your business, product and service, your customers and competition. The answers to the questions below are essential to effectively and successfully complete the writing section of the website your project.

1. What are the benefits of the product?
2. Are all the features the product?

3. How different product and better than the competition?

4. What buyers expect when he spends his money on this product? Do we deliver?

5. What methods, approaches and techniques sales competition is using?

6. How the audience for the product that is different from the general public?

7. How much can a buyer expect to pay enough?

8. The average buyer does not have a credit card or checking account?

9. Products that will be purchased for personal or business?

10. You can expect to get some sales from the buyer?

11. What logical ‘back end’ to sell the product after it has someone buy your product? [ 'Back end' refers to products in other product lines you can offer to someone who has purchased the product the main features in your ad]

12. Do I need to display the product in color?

14. What issues must be addressed specific industry? (Trend, etc.)

15. Are there any industry, product or competitive problems be avoided?

16. Tone must employ what the piece? (Hardhitting / serious, educational / informative, humorous, etc.)

17. What do you like about your current piece (s)? (Look and feel, tone, messaging, functionality, etc.)

18. What you do not like about your current piece (s)? (Look and feel, tone, messaging, functionality, etc.)

19. What overall impressions (look and feel, etc.) that you will cut (s) to make?

20. Akan this piece (s) used with the other? (proposal, guarantees, letters, etc.)

21. What about the piece (s) used (online, away, trade shows, email, etc.) and at the point in the sales cycle?

22. Any other comments?

(Last form)

Admittedly, the client to get an answer these questions is not always easy.

That’s why it’s best to be flexible with the marketing / creative brief. You can ask customers to fill it out. You can use it to interview the client. You can fill out their own client for review. Whatever the collaborative approach works well.

Finally, emphasize to your clients that if they want more clicks, more leads and more sales, they must actively participate in the process input.

One you have all the information you need, you’re ready to write a winner.

(c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel

3. What is the problem of communication piece (s) must solve? (Awareness, position or repositioning, product introduction, introducing the category, etc.)

4. Which is the audience? (Demography, titles, functions, responsibilities, etc.)

5. What their opinions about a product, service, category?

6. The second is the audience (s), if any?

7. What business problem or issue is not the product (s) / service (s) to the audience (s)? (Efficiency issues, profitability issues, issues of operations, technology, problems, etc.)

8. Effect which we want to piece (s) to exist in the target audience (s)? (Purchase, phone calls, visit the Web site, request more information, raise awareness, etc.)

9. What can we offer to achieve the desired response? (Demo, situation evaluation, sales collateral, personal visits, white paper, etc.)

10. What is the one important message we need to tell the target audience (s) to achieve the desired effect? (Be as brief as possible.)

11. Is there evidence to support our claim? (Features and benefits, testimonials, case studies, etc.)

12. Anyone can make the same promise?

13. Is there a technology to overcome the problem? (Compatibility, operating system, hardware requirements, etc.)

To write successful copy, you need to know as much as possible. It goes beyond reading background material, check the old fruit market and while doing some research on the web.

You need to get people in the ‘head.

Start with the client. They know their business and their customers better than you do. (If they do not, they should be. You can help them learn more.)

How? Using a marketing / creative brief to get the information you need to ace the copywriting (and marketing) tasks. (A marketing / creative brief is a tool used by ad agencies and corporate marketing and creative departments.)

Here is a marketing / creative brief is adapted from one used for my job in Seattle ad agencies. Although now I work alone, I still use today.

(Start form)

Marketing / Creative Brief

(Note: Designed for B2B; many short this also applies to B2C.)

Good feedback is the key to the success of projects, campaigns, or marketing program. This marketing / creative brief is designed to get good feedback. But take a prudent and thorough in your answers. Please answer the following questions carefully.

1. What information piece (s)? (Yesterday, website, brochures, radio scripts, direct mail, etc.)

2. What is the focus of marketing? (What product or service let us know about?)

Expect hard times

First or second year as a freelance advertising copywriter or website copywriter will be difficult. It takes long enough to generate momentum and during that time, you may find yourself wondering if you’ve made the right career choice. Although possible to obtain the number-six each year, you must be patient (so as not suitable for new or intending parents or anyone with large mortgage commitments).

9) Do not spend too much on training

My humble opinion, there is no money spent learning is wasted. However, you need to weigh the return on investment. I do not know much about what copywriting courses are available, but if they are expensive, I would think twice. In my experience, most clients (be they agents or end-clients) value copywriting capabilities through training.

10) Behold, you can do

Confidence in the ability of copywriting is a must. If you’re not adamant you can produce results after the client is, you will never be able to persuade the client. Remember that everyone feels daunted at the beginning of a new copywriting job. Always have a sharp learning curve in copywriting, and generally takes a little work. Do not fall into the trap of focussing on what you do not know what you have and have not been completed.

Good luck, and happy writing!

4) Use the contacts & jobs database

Wherever you are in a freelance copywriting career, you need a contact database and work. Scale down the type of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. Use it to record everything! Especially the name, phone number, and details of any correspondence (especially phone calls). Make my own using a database Microsoft Access. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com/downloads/contacts jobs.mdb and download 208KB working copy for FREE. You need Microsoft Access 2000 to run it. I’m no database expert, so it does not become a work of art. He will surely get you started though. (TIP: If using a database, press Ctrl +; to enter today’s date.)

5) Write a few examples

If you target a specific client or industry, do not be afraid to write and send a sample through them. You can offer discounts for free (all the people to not like something) or at discount, or you can use it as incentive to sign their work for the future. All that depends on the type of work and type of client. One important thing to remember is that almost as good an example as a portfolio to the prospective client.

6) Investment in the account package

Do not be fooled into thinking you can handle the account manually (or with Microsoft Excel). Even if you only have a few clients, you must really like an account package MYOB or Quicken (both offer small business versions). You will understand why the first time you do your GST reports or annual taxes. In fact, you will understand why every time you need to chase down outstanding invoices

7) Give great service

This may appear obvious, such as the one, but it is important to note that the “great service” means different things to different clients. Most of the time you will be working directly with clients (often startup businesses) and agencies. Appreciate the good service, but it set a completely different. Depending on the body of their freelance copywriters to meet strict requirements (get the job done with good, can be done on time, does not exceed the budget). They have end-clients breathing down their necks, so reliability is as important as the quality of writing. End-client, on the other hand, need ad copywriter or website copywriter who see their business the way they do, and can deliver that vision. They may also need more guidance, especially if they just start from yourself. If you can help them understand that copywriting does not just inform people about what products and services that offer business; this convey about the benefits of their products and services. A good advertising copywriter or website copywriter will be able to help their clients to think in terms of benefits, not products and services.

Every day I receive some email from people who seek advice on how to get into freelance copywriting. Although there is no simple answer, and there are no answers that apply to all people, there are a few tips that I believe will help create the majority of people move to freelance copywriting, and survive the first few months at least.

1) Investment in a web site

The best place for any freelance advertising copywriter or website copywriter to start is to pay for a website. A web site that invaluable because when you cold call and email prospects, you should direct them to a place that gives them more information. Keep your website simple, including the portfolio page, add the examples of any copywriting you’ve finished, talk about places you’ve worked, the client has been written, and including all the testimonials you have received. Make sure you include your address and contact details as well, so people do not think you’re a fly-by-night operation. Of course, it does not hurt to include a good photo. If you can not say much about your experience, do not say much. It does not really matter even if you do not say anything. Remember, like any form of advertising copywriting, writing about your art requires refinement. If you do not have experience, but you sure can do a job, you can be very smart in what you do not say, and most people will read it in a way that you will.

2) Do not target the body

If you’ve never worked as an advertising copywriter or website copywriter before, do not target advertising agencies and web design. They know what they are after, so if you do not have a portfolio, you will not stand a chance. Copywriter who is experienced to manage and control the quality of requiring much time and introduce risk. Most of the agencies that are too busy to give unproven copywriters a break, even if you’re ready to do the work in the specification. Target end-clients directly.

3) cold calls, cold calls, cold call

One of the best ways generate business in the early days was to the end of the cold-call potential clients. It’s hard work and very time consuming, but you can generate some quality leads. For more information on cold calling, please refer http://www.divinewrite.com/coldcallingcopywriter.htm.

7) Testimonials

Perhaps the best indication of a website copywriter is the ability of customer satisfaction. Do not be afraid to ask for customer testimonials. A good website copywriter will be proud of their testimonials - so proud, in fact, that they will offer them without you even ask. Search testimonials from companies you recognize and / or can verify. Anyone can get their great-aunt to write a testimonial. Some will even write your own. If you really want to make sure, ask for contact details so you can give the customer a call and hear directly from the horse’s mouth.

Copy SEO Skills

Approximately 80% of all traffic that comes through a web search engine, so it is important that your website copywriter has proven experience in SEO copy. Ask them a general approach to SEO copy. They usually perform keyword analysis itself? How do they know that they have used keywords in just enough places from the right? They can show a high ranking site has been written to copy? What are the steps they take to avoid diluting the effectiveness of keyword phrases your primary? SEO akan replace their copy of the text link on the page? (Must!)

9) Copy in SEO No Extra Charge!

Will not be fooled into paying more for SEO copy. If you have to do keyword analysis, and you know where you’d like to keyword phrases used, the copy must be no more than usual. I’ll say it again … SEO copy is not an extra - it is web copy should be written! Do not pay extra for it! The only thing that should have to pay extra for is the keyword analysis, add the HTML code for the unmarked text links, provide guidance on the structure of the site, the source of inbound links to your site, etc. SEO copy itself must have cost extra.

10) Experience Writing for Online Media

Writing for online media is different from writing for print. Readers have different requirements and goals, and the condition is very different. Make sure your website copywriter to know how the food for these differences. Ask them to recommend a maximum page length or word count per page. The correct answer should include some comment on the trade-off between the need for scrolling and a high for the keywords for SEO. Ask them whether they are long or short sentences (and hope to hear the “short”). Ask them whether they will include many links in the main text in the body copy, and if so, they will appear as a regular link (in color and underlined) or they will be unmarked.

Professional copy writing can mean the difference between a great site and see the big search sites get THAT YOUR MONEY.

Choose a web site copywriter carefully.

3) Period

Always ask how long your job will be taken. If you already have a go at writing your own web copy, you will know how much that time. Never make the mistake of thinking that work will be done in one day. Provided, a professional website copywriter will be very efficient in crafting your copy, but no matter the author, the quality of products that require time. And on the writing time, remember that you must review and provide feedback on everything they write. In many cases, examination of the stage takes the most time, so make sure you try to set some time aside, you will find yourself in the bottleneck!

4) Plan of Attack

Try to get some ideas from your website copywriter about how they plan to approach your project. Do not be fooled into believing you have to hand over dollars before they will disclose their plan of attack. You have the right to become comfortable with the approach before they perform services. You will receive a draft of each individual page, or a concept of the whole site? What format you will receive in the finished product? Iterations reviewing how do they anticipate?

5) Sample

Many ambitious web service providers for all types of authors are calling themselves today. They offer copywriting as a specialist service, but does not involve a specialist to complete the job. Always ask to see examples of their previous copy. Read it carefully and ask yourself, “Is this a copy of the benefit?”. Pretend you’re the audience and ask “Is this copy the questions I need answered before I will buy?”

6) CV

Most copywriters website will provide a very high and a summary of their business services they offer. Some even offer an example. But very few offer their professional biographer. If you are not satisfied with relying on their web sites as the only source of information, to request a copy of their CV. The things you’re looking for is in the history of professional writing, and some better in the same education.

Sites such as electronic trading and become more and more common, business owners and marketing managers are aware that quality web copy is every bit as important as design. And with the ever increasing importance of search engine presence, the role of web copy has never been more critical.

But in the relatively new field, the customers keep coming with what they can from their website copywriter. Question many people ask, “How do I know I will get what I pay for?”

Prior to this interesting website copywriter for the next project, ask them if they are able to provide you with the necessary ten …

1) Fixed Quote

Many website copywriters will tell you that they only work at high. They will cite a variety of conditions, rapid technological change, the incentive is greater, the risk of customer indecision, and a host of other reasons why they can not provide a fixed quote. But do not wonder. You have the right to know what the work will be charged. If a website copywriter will not be fixed quote, think twice …

2) Contract of Work Done akan

Remain as important as the quote is a signed contract. May not be prepared by a lawyer, but a written and signed document outlining the work to be done, and the cost of those works is very important. If a website copywriter is reluctant to provide a written, itemised quote including estimated number of words, you must ask yourself why.