Thursday, December 27, 2007

freelance copywriting

Excellence in freelance copywriting

Writing all of the copy for your web site yourself can be tiring and time consuming, especially if you are not a professional freelance copywriter. It can also be daunting when you type freelance copywriter into your browser's search engine and are presented with 44,800 possibilities. The problem is that it is difficult to determine what sort of service lies behind those possibilities. Although the Internet has its share of excellent writers it also a lot of hacks, plagiarists and tardy writers listed who have paid big bucks to be listed in that search engine too.

Here are a few things that you should look for when looking for a freelance copywriter:

A freelance copywriter who knows what Search Engine Optimization is.
A freelance copywriter that charges an affordable hourly or fee for their services. If the fee is lower than $25 an hour it is practically understood that your project will be late simply because that is already less than one quarter of writer's union fees. It also means that the writer will also have to be working on multiple projects in order to finance your project.

Writing all of the copy for your web site yourself can be tiring and time consuming, especially if you are not a professional freelance copywriter. It can also be daunting when you type freelance copywriter into your browser's search engine and are presented with 44,800 possibilities. The problem is that it is difficult to determine what sort of service lies behind those possibilities. Although the Internet has its share of excellent writers it also a lot of hacks, plagiarists and tardy writers listed who have paid big bucks to be listed in that search engine too.

Here are a few things that you should look for when looking for a freelance copywriter:

A freelance copywriter who knows what Search Engine Optimization is.
A freelance copywriter that charges an affordable hourly or fee for their services. If the fee is lower than $25 an hour it is practically understood that your project will be late simply because that is already less than one quarter of writer's union fees. It also means that the writer will also have to be working on multiple projects in order to finance your project.

A freelance copywriter who can establish a firm date for when you will receive the deliverables.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a freelance copywriting service is highly linked or highly rated in the search engine is not necessarily your best choice. Remember that search engine listings and indexing can be paid for.

You may not also not necessarily find the freelance copywriter of your dreams on the Internet. There are plenty of copywriters listed in the phone book and also within creative agencies that are capable of doing the job for you.

Probably the two main sites where freelancers conglomerate on the Internet are guru.com and elance.com. Both of these sites use the auction format. You post your project and name a budget and the writers that belong to these organizations bid on them. These are both reputable places to find writers willing to do your copywriting but keep in mind that both sites charge monthly enrollment fees as well as listing and transaction fees in order for you to do business.

When looking at writer's profiles on either elance or guru, it is a good idea to take a good look at any samples that they might have posted. You can also tell a lot about a writer by the way their profile is written. If the description of their own services is riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes you can pretty much assume that the copywriting that they produce for you will also be plagued with similar problems.

As these are online market places, they have their share of nuts and wackos. It is well known that really good freelance writers can be a bit eccentric as many of them on the Internet work at home and don't see a soul all day. Don't expect a freelance copywriter to deal with you like one of your corporate chums would. Many of them are freelance because they can't stand the corporate world and its jargon and protocol in the first place.

It is also important not to judge a writer too much on any negative feedback that may have been left for them for other clients. Both guru.com and elance.com slant their feedback systems so that a client can leave feedback even if there has been no contract has been signed or a single word has been written. Even an excellent writer's rating can be adversely affected by feedback left by a client that has not assigned or paid a cent to the writer!

Another thing to consider is the number of clients that the freelance writer has had as opposed to the actual feedback. For instance if you notice that a writer has completed 90 successful transactions but only ten people have left both positive or negative feedback, then you can pretty much assume that they are good freelancers. This is because on both guru and elance less than 10% of individuals actually leave feedback for a writer.

Another indication that you are looking at the profile of an excellent copywriter is a high number of repeat customers. Both elance and guru allow you to see who has assigned articles to a copywriter and how many times. If the writer has lots of repeat business then that is more of an indication that they offer reliable and accurate copywriting services than a five star feed back rating.

Both elance.com and guru.com also tell you how much money the writer has made that year from selling their services. Chances are that the higher the figure is, the better the writer is.

Another way to find a freelance copywriting service on the web is to type the words "copywriting portfolio" into your search engine. This will lead you to thousands of sites displaying portfolios that feature different types of copywriting. However keep in mind that some of these sites will be off shoots of creative agencies or advertising agencies who will probably want to charge you an arm and a leg for a brochure and some of them may belong to writers who have launched their business on the web. They might betrying to offer customers an option that is a little more expensive than what is offered on elance or guru but not as expensive commissioning the work from an agency.

As is true with all business-to-business enterprises on the web, the type of writer you should avoid is the one that cannot maintain a web site. If the writer's site has broken links, bad grammar or other problems you might encounter that old adage "You get what you pay for!" if they offer to do your copywriting for next to free!

Advertising and Why People Buy it


I read this quote the other day and it is oh so true to the interactive and creative advertising worlds.


"

If you can get this mental move down, the rest of your copywriting becomes easy by comparison

Aesop_glimLast week I was talking with my friend copywriter/designer Peter Aristedes in Chicago, and we discovered we both have a weakness for buying too many books. In fact, he took "unfair" advantage of me by telling me about an old out-of-print advertising book he had recently bought, and before the conversation was over, I had tracked it down on the Internet and it's on its way to me now.

Then a few days later, out of my bookshelf I picked my copy of a book originally written in 1945 (I have the 1961 edition) called How Advertising Is Written -- and Why by Aesop Glim (the pen name for the old Printer's Ink columnist George Laflin Miller).

I found a gem in there so good I have to share it with you:

Why does he buy it?

This is the most misleading question of all-- because we have the paradox that what you sell is almost never what your prospect buys.

...

People don't buy soap -- they buy cleanliness. People don't buy dentifices -- they buy beauty and freedom from toothache.

People don't buy automobiles -- they buy transportation, social prestige, the great outdoors, life, liberty, and the pursuit of the opposite sex.

People don't buy houses -- they buy homes.

I guess most of us have heard some version of this before, so we "know" it.

But, does that matter?

Because, "knowing" and "doing" are two different things.

I still see so many ads that are trying to sell what the business wants to sell, rather than what the customer wants to buy.

Unsuccessful ads, I might add.

Do you know why your prospect buys?

If you don't, a good place to start is by asking him -- or her.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

P.S. I just did a quick search and as of this moment there are about six used copy of the book I mentioned available on Amazon. You could do worse than to join Peter and me in our unwieldy habit. "



Just remember these little rules:


headline-hook-offer-call^to^action


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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Resume


 

 

Qualifications

  

 

 

 

Award-winning experience producing national television brands, print, annual reports, proposals, posters, web, coding, and multimedia. Highly skilled at conceptual, strategic, communication with high attention to detail. Experience presenting concepts to all levels of senior management and clients.

Experience

 

MyFreeEstimates.com

 

Account executive turned lead art director. Created e-newsletters on loyalty programs. Expanded & managed web site remodel, supervise affiliates (invoices, payment, promotions), amend in-house forms, & lead/design national marketing campaigns.

 

EAGAN, MN

 

Direct overall layouts, brand designs, and logo placement. Assist IT in coding,

 

JULY 2007 TO PRESENT

 

model new techniques to layout code for unique working menus, banners, and forms.

[tile] x (DESIGN)

 

Interior design internship mentored by lead designer to organize materials, as well as present design concepts and materials to clients.

BURNSVILLE , MN

 

 

JUNE 2007 TO PRESENT

 

 

Guru.com

 

Created promotional pieces and new client pitches. Organized and created mock-ups and pitches proposals to new clients. Produce direct mail marketing campaigns, book cover

FREELANCE OFF SITE

AUG. 2006 TO PRESENT

 

designs, flyers, pamphlets, promotional cards, menus, web sites, banners, and art work for small to large companies nation wide.

 

Gage Marketing

 

Responsible for a variety of tasks, developing concepts under direction of the art director,

GOLDEN VALLEY, MN

MAY 2007 TO JULY

 

production for a variety of projects including, ads, brochures, websites, and catalogs. Prepare presentation boards, administrative work, and production art.

Cheetah Graffix

 

Conceptual race car design, logo placement, personnel management, as well as laid out

 

DEXTER, IA

 

features, departments, and created ads.

 

AUG. 2004 TO 2006

 

 

Des Moines    International Airport

DES MOINES, IA

2003-2004

 

Oversee the operation of the department, assist in the upkeep of equipment, attend department meeting and training sessions to acquire the knowledge, skills, values, and experiences that would be necessary to peruse a career in the aviation, industry/airport fire department. Intern.

US Marketing and Promotions

MIDWEST

2001-2004

 

Demonstration Sales Representative for clients like Proctor & Gamble                                     Present and demonstrate new products to potential consumers with emphasis on sales, prepare/set up display(s) for clients. Travel to business and establish proper client/consumer/subordinate relations. Accounting/Inventory skills

 

Iowa State Extension Office

AMES , IA

JUNE 2004 TO 2006

 

Conduct parties for customers; attend to customer needs, and photograph costumers , educate children in a developmental appropriate setting to determine Contestants Goals, encourage future development, and project quality help in the organization and planning of individuals county fairs

 

Midwest Flying Services

Ames , IA

2005 TO 2006

 

Reception work, fueling, repositioning aircraft, cleaning planes, organize office, create filing system.

 

 

 

Desoto Air Plane     Supermarket Golden Circle Air

DESOTO, IA

2003-2004

 

Decorate interior space appropriate for businesses daily operation and for entertainment of potential clients, re-organize office to better suit business needs, maintain floor display, and understand basic flight procedures, maintain Airplanes. In exchange for regular ultra-light flight training

 

 

 

Army-Air Force ROTC

 

Create Logo and slogan to represent the Iowa State Army ROTC program and present

 

AMES , IA

 

them to the appropriate authorities in a professional manner. Teacher's assistant and minor

 

2005 TO 2006

 

In military science from Air Force ROTC.

 

 

Army Reserves

 

96B Intelligence Analyst E-2 (Private) ; Delayed Entry Program, one years worth

 

 

AMES , IA

JUNE 26th, 2003 TO MAY '0

 

preliminary training for advance individual training, transferred to ROTC at Iowa State University (to become an officer).

 

Access Direct

AMES , IA

2005

 

Educate consumers and business owners on product services, memorization, public relations.

 

Skills

 

 

 

Web development

 

Macromedia Flash, Dream weaver, Fireworks, HTML, Publisher, CMS400

 

Basic Software

 

Power Point, Excel, Access, Word, Outlook, Data Entry, Internet, Quicken

 

 

Graphic Software

 

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Corel Draw, Photo paint, Acrobat professional

Graphic Design

 

Collaborative problem solving, web design, identity packaging, brochures, logo design, publication, flyers, posters magazine advertisements, media advertising

Fine Art

 

Illustration, calligraphy, photography, oil/acrylic painting, rendering, woods, print, metals

 

Other

 

Radio/T.V. broadcasting, restaurant promotions, business communications, campaign design, peer counseling, personal management, recruiting, press relations

 

Search Engines

 

Search Engine Promotion and Optimization

 

Education

 

Iowa State University � Ames

 

 

Bachelor of Art and Design

 

 

Minor in Military Science

 

 

 

Des Moines Area Community College

 

 

Associates in Science

 

 

Emphasis in aviation technology

 

 

(Graduate two weeks prior to high school graduation)

                              

Professional A ffiliations

 

Ad-Fed Sponsorship committee

 

 

 

Tri-Delta Young Alumni

 

 

World Food Prize Ambassador

 

Hobbies & Interests

 

Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Aviation, Pilot Training, A&P Mechanic Training, ISDS certified advanced scuba diver

 

Honors & Awards

 

Dean's List

 

 

Naval Science Award, FFA State Science Fair

 

 

One out of ten annual recipients of the WCVJH Citizenship Award

 


--
Sincerely,

Desarae A. Veit
待望の欲望
Creative Director -- ウェブデザイナ�
MyFreeEstimates.com
P-952-888-5663
F-952-888-9645
C-515-250-0760
desaraev@gmail.com
desaraev@myfreeestimates.com
www.dveit.com

" Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means. " - Albert Einstien

"Some people create with words, or with music, or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more then just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative." - Prefontaine

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