VOLUME 15, ISSUE 9 – SEPTEMBER 2016
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: THE ART OF AGGRESSIVE FOLLOW-UP
Yours Truly Decides a Butt-Dial is a Contact, Lands Meeting and Juicy Gig!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: THE IMPORTANCE OF UNIQUE DESCRIPTION TAGS
SEO Copywriter on Maximizing the Yield of Search-Engine Results!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: WRITING A WHOLE NEW LIFE CHAPTER
TX FLCW Shares Wonderful Story of Courage, Triumph and, Yes, Well-Fed Writing!
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
GA Creativity Pro: There’s Power in Being “For” (Vs. Against) Something
TIP: This Keyboard-Shortcut Compilation WILL Increase Your Productivity
I. APPETIZER: THE ART OF AGGRESSIVE FOLLOW-UP
Yours Truly Decides a Butt-Dial is a Contact, Lands Meeting and Juicy Gig!
How important is following up with prospective clients? AND, being willing to push things a little? Well, you tell me…
Last fall, I was at the front-end of a vacation, and got a call from an out-of-town prospect, looking for copywriting services, and who’d found me through a Google search. I told her I’d be back in action in a week or so. Fine, she said. Call me then.
Which I did, early in the week I got back. Left a voice mail, and after a few days, still no return call. Then, one morning late that week, my phone rang. It was her. Sort of. I answered, but all I heard was rustling and background noises. Great. Butt-dial. Now what?
Well, a less experienced, more cowardly me would’ve justified not calling: “If she was ready to call me, she’d have really called me, so I’ll just let it alone and follow up later.” But, today’s version of yours truly said, “No guts, no glory. Strike while the iron is hot,” and probably a few other trite platitudes.
More importantly, I decided to capitalize on her contact, no matter how unintentional it was. I redialed her. She answered warily; clearly, she didn’t know who was calling. I told her who it was, and that I’d just gotten a call from her, and asking, with a merry tone in my voice, if she’d butt-dialed me. Yes, she admitted, in fact she had.
Could have been a very awkward moment—heck, it was an awkward moment—but I just jumped in, and asked if she had a moment to chat. She was caught off guard, and I could tell she hadn’t planned on this, but said okay. I then asked her, just to make sure, that she was still looking for someone like me, and she said yes.
Long story short, I kept up the patter, reiterating my sales/marketing background, which I know caught her attention originally, and she quickly warmed to the conversation. She started talking about the project, and what she was looking for. It was exactly what I’d had a ton of experience doing, and I told her so.
Next thing I know, she’s suggesting a meeting, which happened the following week, followed by an estimate for a meaty project, an acceptance, and a deposit check in hand a few days later. Might have happened anyway, but always better to take control.
Because she’d originally reached out to me, after doing research to find the right copywriter, I knew she was motivated to get the project done. Clients don’t proactively take steps like that unless they’re ready to go. Hence, I fell pretty comfortable nudging a bit. Good clients like copywriters who take control of projects and keep things moving, and I decided to start that process before landing the deal.
Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, especially if a client has reached out to you—or been exceptionally receptive to your initial contact. It might be exactly what’s needed. On that “take-the-bull-by-the-horns” not, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: THE IMPORTANCE OF UNIQUE DESCRIPTION TAGS
SEO Copywriter on Maximizing the Yield of Search-Engine Results!
Another quick and useful “Easy Web Tip” (and it’s a “two-fer,” linking to an earlier piece on title tags) from Web Optimization pro and copywriter Katherine Andes, whose stuff I love! Sign up for her “Easy Web Tips” at the link above.
This is a great primer on writing description tags—often given short shrift by companies. SEO today is a moving target, and sites like Katherine’s offer great resources to keep you up on the art and science of SEO writing. AND, if you have a client needing a really good SEO writer, and that’s not your bailiwick, think of Katherine!
In my last tip, I wrote about the workhorse of good search engine optimization, The Almost Almighty Title Tag.
Today, I’m going to write about the importance of a good description tag. Description tags are important because search engines often show them beneath your title tag in a search-result snippet.
If they are well-written, specific to the page content, and enticing, more customers will click through to your website.
Unfortunately, many companies just have a “global” description that is the same for every page. For example:
Acme Furniture carries living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture at the best prices in the tri-county area.
There’s nothing technically wrong with the above tag, but…
- It shouldn’t be the tag for every page on your website.
- It doesn’t take advantage of all the space available.
- It may be fine for a home page, but it’s not specific enough for interior pages.
- It’s light on benefits for the customer.
- It doesn’t have a “cliffhanger.”
Here’s a better tag:
Acme Furniture has a large stock of oak dinettes for the tri-county area. Take home today. New shipments arrive weekly, like special custom pieces from…
This tag remedies the problems above…
- It’s specific to a particular product page.
- It takes advantage of every space available (155 characters with spaces).
- It’s product-specific: oak dinettes.
- It has more customer benefits: large stock, take home today, custom pieces.
- It has a “cliffhanger” at the end to encourage more click-throughs.
By the way, your keyword phrase for the above page is “oak dinettes.” You don’t have to put the page’s main keyword phrase in the description tag as it doesn’t help with SEO, but it can help get more click-throughs as it will be bold in the snippet.
Whether you upload your own description tags in-house or give the task to your web developer, be sure to always check that your tags publish accurately by looking at the code after publishing (usually click VIEW>SOURCE in your browser tools then search for ).
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: WRITING A WHOLE NEW LIFE CHAPTER
TX FLCW Shares Wonderful Story of Courage, Triumph and, Yes, Well-Fed Writing!
A wonderfully uplifting story of overcoming some pretty crushing adversity and emerging triumphant in the end. And sent to me by Star, TX FLCW Victoria Cayce. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to have played even a tiny supporting role in all this.
So, this is for anyone out there, wrestling with fears—whether life threatening or more modest—and trying to create a better life for themselves and their families. And maybe, just maybe, doing it via commercial writing. Thanks Victoria; you’re an inspiration!
Roughly six years ago, I was driving a beat-up Honda CRV up a mountain road, praying it would hold together long enough to reach a safe place. Almost no heat came out of the vents and ice clung to the wipers as more and more snow blew in.
A few days earlier I’d had finally gotten up the courage to leave an over-20-year abusive relationship. In addition to having to call everyone I knew to scrape up enough money just for enough gas to drive 20 hours to my cousin’s house, I was fighting a debilitating illness (systemic lupus).
Once there, I still had no money or prospects. All I had was a newfound sense of freedom mixed with a terrifying awareness that I was walking a wire with no safety net. I wanted to be a writer—mainly because it was tough to hold down a regular job during the painful flare-ups that accompany the illness.
What I lacked was experience, and any writing clips—zilch, nada, zippo. So, with high hopes and a whole lot of moxie, I started to reach out and hustle. I got a few pieces published on sites that allowed me to work with real editors.
Based on those I found a gig as a dental writer. And…fell flat on my face. After I got canned, I swallowed my pride and called the editor and asked how I could be a better writer. She was surprised, but answered honestly. I took notes.
It was a really, really hard time for me. Every fear I ever had would crawl out from under the bed of my mind at three in the morning. Sometimes I just wanted to give up and jump off something high, or worse, go back to the abuse where at least I knew what to expect. Then I found The Well-Fed Writer books.
I pretty much devoured them. They gave me not only a roadmap, but the courage I needed to create my own path to success. I studied them the way an art critic studies a painting. I started making calls and sending emails. I also started searching current job openings on the major job boards such as Indeed and Monster.
I did not want to work for the companies as an employee, but figured if they were looking to hire, they might also have some overflow work. I’d find the ad, go directly to their site and then reach out via email to their marketing department.
I also hit up marketing agencies for the same reason. I knew that they would have a stream of work that could supplement the clients I would find on my own. Once I was comfortable with that, I started cold-calling clients directly.
I also pitched to niche-market companies that would need specialized writing, such as biotech, medical and dental (I have a degree in biology.) Now I have a steady stream of writing work and I am helping my son pay for college. My son also started doing proofing and writing work as a side job to cover his expenses.
We are also working on starting a non-profit aimed at helping other domestic-abuse survivors learn to write so that they, too, can break their cycles.
My advice: Put the energy out there. There is more work than you could ever do in a lifetime. Every word you see in any form of advertising, blog or whatever, was written by someone. You have the power to change your life, but you have to be willing to follow through, take action and just start doing it. Happy writing.
Update from Victoria: Next year, I hope to break six figures. You have to know how amazing that is for someone who struggled to pay her light bill. It makes me tear up when I think about it. I could not buy a cup of coffee on the road leading from my ex. Now I can help others.
My previous education allows me to write about complex medical, dental and bio-tech subjects, but honestly, you can do it without the advanced degrees. I have to write about a new drug being tested to help Lupus patients now. Thank you!
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
GA Creativity Pro: There’s Power in Being “For” (Vs. Against) Something
TIP: This Keyboard-Shortcut Compilation WILL Increase Your Productivity
Not an actual success story, but certainly a lesson that can lead to some (hint: Send me your success stories!). Coming from colleague, fellow Atlantan and creativity consultant, Sam Harrison, it’s a great reminder of the positivity we unleash with a simple shift in perspective.
Following that is a cool link from a reader, whose name I forgot to log in the file. Oops! My apologies, but hope he or she is okay with my using this most useful little resource. I’m a “keyboarder” (vs. a “mouser”), and it’s no secret that proficient keyboarders can get FAR more done FAR faster than those who go for the mouse first.
At times, people who see me doing a lightning-fast sequence of keyboard commands will shake their heads, and ask, “What did you just do??” It’s fun. So get good at the keyboard. You’ll thank me.
Americans Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick—two of the world’s fastest skaters 10 years ago—were both scheduled for the 1500-meter speed skating event in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
For weeks before the match, they bickered in the media about each other’s behavior and who would win the Gold. The big day finally came and…the gold medal went to Italy’s Enrico Frabris.
We see this play out all the time in business. Two hot agencies go up against each other for a potential client’s business, then get beat out by a third agency that was 100 percent for the client’s success.
Two major event-planning firms slam each other until they’re bloody, then another event planner takes the lead by being for more personal touches.
Two top products in a market trash each other with their advertising, and a disruptive product rises up by being for exceptional customer service. And don’t even get me started on politicians.
These are all good examples of the difference between force and power. What we are for can empower us. What we’re against—and what we try to force—can weaken us.
Mother Teresa intuitively knew this when asked years ago if she would march against the Vietnam War. “I don’t participate in anti-war rallies,” she replied, “but if you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.
Experiment with being for rather than against. Spend your energy focused on what you can do for your customers—and for your own growth and success.
Sam Harrison is an in-demand speaker and coach on creativity-related topics and on presentation skills. He is the author of three popular books: “IdeaSelling,” “IdeaSpotting” and “Zing!” Find him at www.zingzone.com.
What’s the difference between an “en dash” and an “em dash,” and when do you either both? What are prime symbols, and when and how do I type them on a Mac or PC? How do I create the symbols for a British pound (£), Euro, that little circle denoting temperature degrees, an accent mark, an umlaut, and dozens of other symbols?
Came across a very cool keyboard shortcut compilation (for PC and Mac) of all these grammatical grumblers, and linguistic minefields, just chockfull of useful information. While some of the items you’ll need to use all the time, others might only be infrequently, but when you need to know them, you need to know fast. Enjoy!