Dogs and bees, and freelancers, can smell fear. As someone who writes copy and produces marketing materials on a freelance basis, I can tell within five minutes of talking to a potential customer whether their fear of being overcharged will set the tone for our work together. I can also assure you that there are ways to retain quality and get good turnaround time on projects without being run through the wringer.

Some facts and suggestions on how to get the most bang for your outsourced buck:

Know that the freelancer is just as interested in being quick and efficient as you are.

People who are new to outsourcing might view me (the copywriting consultant) as someone who would try to milk them out of their last dime while dragging the project on forever. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Established freelancers typically juggle multiple projects at once. It makes much better business sense for us to complete two projects for two happy clients in two days, then deliver one project for one client in two days and have that client feel uneasy about the amount of time we spent on their work.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 87% [?]

I’m currently in the middle of trying to figure out why my client’s email newsletter looks strange when viewed in some versions of Outlook and in Gmail. So I Googled “sending html emails in gmail” (but I didn’t put it in quotes).

Up came this phenomenal article from MailChimp.com with information so specific they should be charging money to let people read it.

I’m going to paste the beginning here and then let you click to read the rest.

(By the way, their use of “How” and “How to” in the title and subtitle is enough to send this copywriter into convulsive fits… but I’ll let it pass because the rest of the information is just so superb.)

How To Code And Send HTML Email Campaigns and Newsletters
How HTML email works, basic concepts, best practices, tips and tricks

Want to learn how to code your own HTML email campaigns? You’ve probably Googled all kinds of web pages that give you countless “what works, what doesn’t” charts. They tell you which CSS definitions break, how Lotus Notes never renders HTML properly, and how Outlook can’t send email campaigns right.

But instead of focusing on specific tactics, let’s go over some fundamental principles…
Prerequisites

One thing I have to stress is that in order to code your own HTML email, you really, really, really need to know how to code HTML. You should be able to code web pages “from scratch” without the help of any WYSIWYGs (like Front Page, or even DreamWeaver). If you’re that good, then you really don’t need to worry about a million little rules (like what CSS definitions work in this email program, but not in that email program). Just being able to understand “the fundamentals” will save you a lot of time and frustration.

Continue reading this article

This tip courtesy of Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Popularity: 22% [?]

Admit it: if you’re a freelancer or online business consultant, sometimes you let prospective clients fall through the cracks. Let’s say, for example, that a friend of a friend contacts you with a vague request for your services. You mean to reply and ask them to be clearer on their needs. But time slips away and before you know it their email is at the bottom of the heap along with that Cialis spam that you meant to delete two months ago.

Even if you always manage to snap up the hot prospects… forgetting, procrastinating or blatantly ignoring the less than stellar ones is bad policy. It lets others know that you’re not walking the talk you spout regularly on your blog… and it’s just an un-smart way to do business.

Let’s review some possible reasons why you’re not answering every query that comes your way:

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 93% [?]

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Fortune 500 exec or a one-man freelancing show. There will be times when you look at companies whose services compete with yours, and your stomach will sink into your shoes.

How can you possibly live up to that, you wonder, gawking at what is clearly The Cleverest Ad Ever Written, or enviously scanning hundreds upon hundreds of comments on a blog that isn’t yours.

I’m here to tell you that just because your nemesis appears to be the best thing since sliced bread right now, it does NOT mean that you should throw up your hands and throw in the towel.

What it means is you’ve got to USE those jealous pangs to your creative advantage. Some tips and reminders from a copywriter who refuses to see success as a popularity contest.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 29% [?]

Good news; one of my copywriting invoice-dodgers has broken her alleged 2-month vow of silence, claiming that “the check is in the mail.”

Although the real proof is in the pudding, I tend to believe this client because this is the third time I’ve done work for her and she did pay for the other two jobs. (Although I will say that it took a fair amount of hounding before she finally coughed it up for the second assignment.)

I don’t know if people are total train wrecks or what. Maybe they think that if they don’t respond to your invoices, you’ll eventually go away?

What’s your experience with bad payers? I was thisclose to handing my two problem children from February’s billing cycle over to a collections agency. (I have another guy that I may still do this with.)

Let me just review the series of events that took place here:

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 28% [?]

A good copywriter should be well practiced in the art of perspective jumping - not just in your marketing communication, but with your client relationships as well. While I was always pretty good at hopping into the minds of my own clients… I was never so tuned in to them as when I began outsourcing aspects of my own marketing.

Here is my take on what small business clients not only want, but desperately need from the people who we outsource our jobs to.

“The Small Business Client Wishlist” from Dina at Wordfeeder.com.

Small business clients wish that service providers would take the initiative.

I know that many freelance professionals wait there passively, thinking “Well, if my clients needed my services, they’d call or send an email.” The truth is that sometimes business owners can’t catch their breath long enough to say what it is that they want, let alone map it out in steps.

I guarantee that the next freelancer of mine who appears in my email inbox and asks for work WILL get it, even though right now I have no idea of what that assignment will be. Believe it; small business owners are THAT busy. If you’re looking for work, just say so. Clients do not spend time wondering how much work you do for other clients. We just like to know that you’re available for US.

Small business clients wish for marketing without ego.

Being on the flip side has allowed me to experience the unspoken friction that happens when clients make copy changes that copywriters don’t appreciate or agree with. There are two occasions where the copywriter has the right of way in this situation. One, is if the copy changes that the client implements might affect sales. (Let’s say the client deletes the call to action or deletes their own URL - yes it happens.) And two, if the client accidentally says something in the copy that blatantly makes them look unintelligent.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 40% [?]

My good friend and colleague Ann Zuccardy of the Vermont Shortbread Company prefers to do business with people with whom she’d just as easily sit down with for a meal and some good conversation.

In this new age of forming relationships with customers, it would seem the ideal situation - a client or business partner who is also your friend.

Do you agree?

I’ve thought long and hard about this, recalling the many faces of coworkers past and thinking of the people who I worked best with, versus those who I became close with on a personal level.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 12% [?]

The web is brimming with creative talent and free information. Trouble is, sometimes it’s tough to wade through the muck and pan your way to the gold.

If you’ve been out here for any given amount of time, you’ll agree that the three biggest hurdles to overcome are:

• Finding reliable and trustworthy service providers
• Navigating the ongoing chaos that is your daily entrepreneur existence
• Managing and using the information pouring in from all directions.

This site was created to help entrepreneurs troubleshoot such issues, as well as offer a perspective on how to find balance and serenity in the space between work and life.

An energy-filled and productive day begins with a nutritious and satisfying breakfast.

Have you had your Entrepreneur’s Breakfast today?

Popularity: 5% [?]