small business owner Archives - Page 5 of 7

6-in-6 Freelance Copywriter Report – 7 Months

October 19, 2016 by Tanya Brody 8 Comments

Phew! The exciting life of a freelance copywriter! This week is crazy. I just left CONVERTED, the Leadpages conference in Minneapolis, MN. As I write this, I’m on a plane bound for Florida, where I will attend AWAI’s Bootcamp and Job Fair. Two conferences in the same week. Insane. (That’s me, surrounded by two of the Jeffs who work for Leadpages, BTW.)

I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t enjoy attending these conferences. I get to visit with friends, and meet new potential clients. My sincere hope is to have at least 4 new clients by the end of October, thanks to this whirlwind tour.

I’ve spent a lot of time prepping for both of these conferences over the last couple of weeks. I figured the smart thing to do was to put together a “virtual portfolio.” I put that in quotes because I didn’t put up a website or subscribe to a site that lets me put up my samples.

Instead, I used the tools that I use regularly as a freelance copywriter. That way I can show prospective clients what I can do to grow their businesses and get new customers.

If you want to see what I put together, text the word BOOTCAMP16 to 44222. (44222 is a text short code. Type that number into the area of your text message app where you’d normally put someone’s phone number.)

For those of you who are wondering about this cool texting system, it’s called a Leaddigit. It’s part of the Leadpages software system and it’s awesome!

Once you text the “unique identifier” (BOOTCAMP16) to the short code (44222) you’ll get a text asking you for your email address. As soon as you enter your email address and hit “send,” you’re automatically added to my email list. It’s a great way to collect leads anywhere people have their cell phones.

I’m using it at both conferences to get new clients. It’s a very effective tool. It helps me stand out in a sea of other freelance copywriters and business people.

Speaking of new clients, I’m very pleased and excited to tell you that two new clients have joined my roster.

The first one is a start-up tech company called Inkit. They’re changing the way companies send direct mail. (For those of you who don’t know, direct mail is the term for all of those postcards, letters, catalogs and other advertisements that show up in your mailbox.)

The simple description is: they’re making it cheaper, faster and easier for businesses of all sizes, from mom-and-pop shops to major corporations to send direct mail. Click here to find out more about Inkit.

Or, if you’d like to see the email promotion sequence I put together for them to promote them at AWAI’s Bootcamp, text BOOTCAMPMAIL to 44222. (I’m going to a direct mail copywriting conference. I figured they were a perfect fit to promote.)

My second new client is Medical Moguls. Dr. Draion Burch, AKA Dr. Drai, is a celebrity doctor. He’s now teaching other medical professionals how to monetize their knowledge and skills, while giving their current patients better care. Click here to find out more about Medical Moguls.

I would like to make it clear that I haven’t written anything on either of these sites yet. I just started with both of these clients in the last couple of weeks. But I’m sure you’ll see my virtual fingerprints on the digital assets of both of these companies soon.

In the meantime, I’m keeping up with current projects, promoting myself to new clients and living the dream. I’m getting closer to my goal of $6000 net a month every day. I’ll be over the moon when I can tell you I’ve made it happen.

As always, thanks for following along on this crazy, wonderful journey to become a successful freelance copywriter.

My Top 3 Small Business Tools to Grow Your Business Exponentially

October 6, 2016 by Tanya Brody Leave a Comment

I’ve decided to start a semi-regular blog post category of small business tools and resources for small business owners. (We need to stick together, after all.) Eventually, all of these recommendations will be added to a Resources page. But for now, I’m going to start with this short list.

These are the tools I feel every business needs to have so they can grow their email list and create a solid customer base. I have used, or currently use all of these. Yes, I do have affiliate links for these tools, so you will be benefitting me if you click on the link and buy.

But that’s not why I recommend these small business tools. I recommend them because they are easy to use, easy to understand, well supported and will help you grow your business. That is what this post is all about, growing your business.

Everyone will have their own opinion on which small business tools are the best. This series of posts simply reflects my opinion. Agree or disagree, try them, don’t try them. The most important thing is to find what works for you and your business.

Now that I’ve made my disclaimers, here’s my list of the top 3 small business tools you must have to grow your business exponentially.

Leadpages

Leadpages is an excellent landing page and lead generation software suite. It’s SaaS (software as a service) based, so you purchase a monthly or yearly membership. I recommend getting the Pro yearly account, which works out to $49 a month.

With Leadpages, you can quickly and easily grow your email list and promote your products. I use these 3 Leadpages’ features regularly:

Landing Page Templates

Leadpages began as landing page template software. The company provides over 200 landing page templates (some free, some available for purchase through their Marketplace) for you to use as a base to create your own landing pages. (I wrote a post about why you need more landing pages last week, just in case you missed it.)

Templates range from very simple squeeze pages that take about 5 minutes to set up, to long-form sales pages, where you can include video, pictures and lots of text. You can also create your own templates with their new Drag and Drop builder.

Leadpages integrates smoothly with over 20 email service providers (ESPs) and can be integrated with just about any other ESP, with a bit of effort. Once your ESP is integrated, all of the contact information you request on your landing pages will be instantly entered into your ESP lists.

All of the Leadpages templates are optimized for conversion in terms of location of call to action buttons, photos, videos, etc. You can set up automatic delivery of a file (Word doc, PDF, etc, MP3, etc) when someone gives you their email address on a landing page. It all goes through the Leadpages system, so you don’t have to worry about having an additional service to manage this.

Leadpages lets you publish your pages in 4 ways:

Immediately on their lightning fast server.
Via a WordPress plugin on your own website.
Exporting the HTML code to your website.
On your Facebook page. (Please note, you can only post one landing page to each Facebook page you have.)

Here are a few landing pages I’ve created for myself with Leadpages standard templates or the Drag and Drop builder:

Leadboxes

For those of you wondering, “what the heck is a ‘Leadbox?’” It’s that little pop-up box that appears when you click on several of the buttons along the right side of this page. They look like this:

Leadbox from the “Follow My Journey” button to the right.

Leadboxes are an easy way to add a form to any web page. You create a Leadbox in the Leadpages software, then copy the HTML code and paste it wherever you want it on your web page in the “Text” view.

I use them all the time to capture email addresses on the blog posts where I give away checklists, guides or other content upgrades. Again, Leadpages will automatically deliver whatever file I attach to the Leadbox directly to whoever gives me their email address.

I get analytics for each Leadbox, so I know how many people have clicked on it and how many people have actually given me their contact information.

You can put as many Leadboxes on a page as you want to. I usually have 2-3 on my pages (depending on whether I’m giving something away on a blog post) but I’ve seen many more on other websites.

Leaddigits

Leadpages has a built in SMS Text Message system. It only works for incoming lead generation, so you can’t use it to send text messages to your customers. However, it’s an amazing tool to use anywhere people have their mobile phones.

It’s a pretty simple system. You choose a unique identifier for your campaign. Then you set up your Leaddigit to deliver a lead magnet to anyone who texts your unique identifier to a specific phone number or short code, then texts you their email address.

The text conversation looks like this:

So if you text the word HARPMUSIC (all one word, ignore your autocorrect) to the short code 44222, you’ll get a free song.

It takes less than a minute to set up a Leaddigit, and I find them incredibly useful at conferences, performances, live events and speaking engagements. There are hundreds of ways to use Leaddigits. Here are some ideas I’ve seen in action:

On real estate signs
On flyers
To get a coupon for a free _______
Share slides from a presentation or meeting
Contest entries
At the end of a Podcast to download notes or another lead magnet
Share a code to download an app

Leadpages has other great ways to collect leads and make sales. They’re coming up with new lead generation tools all the time. Their entire platform is incredibly easy to use. (I’m a copywriter, not a tech person. I can use everything in my Leadpages account.)

Leadpages has an exceptional customer support team. If they can’t answer my question right away, they get back to me as soon as humanly possible. They’re also excellent problem solvers and can find work-arounds for most issues I, or anyone else, comes up with.

Leadpages does not offer a free trial, but they do offer a 30-day guarantee. If you don’t like Leadpages, just tell them within 30 days and they’ll give you a full refund. If you cancel after that, it will be pro-rated, according to your plan.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I used to work for Leadpages. But that’s only one of the reasons I recommend this tool. It really is an awesome small business tool.)

Drip

Once you’ve gotten all of your lead generation campaigns up and ready, you do need somewhere for all of those exciting new leads to go. Drip is an email service provider, or ESP. Drip integrates with lots of different apps and programs, including Leadpages.

I like Drip as a small business tool because it’s incredibly easy to use, but it gives advanced options for automation. You can set up a sophisticated email follow-up sequence without having to know absolutely everything there is to know about automation and coding.

Drip also gives you the option to resend an email a specified number of days later to people on your list who haven’t opened the original. They’ve got some other spiffy features that I haven’t really played with yet, but I’m looking forward to learning more.

Again, full disclosure, Drip was recently bought by Leadpages. Drip offers a free 21-day trial of their full service. After that, it depends on how many subscribers you have. You can have up to 2,500 subscribers to get their basic plan, which costs $45.

Square

Square is the original independent, low-cost, no monthly fee credit card processing company. A lot of other companies have come in and offered the same services, but I still really like Square as a company and as a service.

They’re already in compliance with the new credit card regulations, offering chip card readers. One of the nice things about Square is that you can either order a card reader directly from Square, or pick one up at Best Buy, Office Max or other, similar big-box stores. That way, if your reader goes out in the middle of a busy day, you can pick another one up right away.

Their system is easy to use and easy to manage. You get paid for whatever credit card charges you accept the next day, via direct deposit to your bank account. You can send invoices, set up loyalty programs, and manage your employees’ time cards and payroll.

Square even offers marketing tools, including a website builder, an email service provider and a calendar scheduling system. (FYI, I use different small business tools for many of these functions, but Square does offer these services.)

Again, there are many other companies that offer card readers and credit card processing. I recommend that you use the one that works best for you. But I really like Square.

Tell Me About Your Favorite Tools

I’ve given you three of my favorite small business tools. I’m sure I’ll give more in the future. But I’m curious to know what you use. Some of them may help me out. Tell me about them in the comments.

6-in-6 Freelance Copywriter Progress Report – 6 Months

September 21, 2016 by Tanya Brody 4 Comments

Good heavens! I was so excited by the video post I wrote last week, I totally forgot to write my monthly freelance copywriter update.

So here we are at the sixth month since I started this blog and this process of becoming a full-time freelance copywriter. It’s been a very interesting journey so far. (The clovers both came from my yard, they’re for luck.)

Note, I say “so far.” I expect this to be a long journey, one that I sincerely hope will last for years. I expect these posts to morph into something else as my career progresses.

For now, I can honestly say, I haven’t reached my goal. And that’s okay.

This freelance copywriter thing is a journey. As noble and exciting as my goal of reaching the point where I was earning $6000 a month in 6 months was, it’s not how things turned out. The nice thing about goals is, they’re something you strive for. If you don’t reach them, you keep striving. When you do, you set another goal.

So I’ll keep striving to reach my goal.

The good thing is, it’s becoming more realistic. I’m getting more contacts from potential clients. I have a meeting with one today. Part of that is because I’ve passed the final tests and become a Leadpages Conversion Marketing Certified Expert. I’m listed in their directory now and I’ve had several potential clients contact me through there.

I’m also getting better at marketing myself as a freelance copywriter. I swear, that’s one of the hardest things to do. I’m great at promoting other people’s businesses, but talking about myself feels…weird. I feel like tooting my own horn is inappropriate. It’s not. I love being a freelance copywriter and I’m really good at it. So I’ll keep working on that.

I’m working on projects for current clients and some of those may become regular work. (At least, that’s my goal for them. These clients could use the help so they can run their businesses and not worry about their marketing.)

I’m reaching out to new potential clients through these blog posts and with two new landing pages. One is a free report offering 5 simple copywriting tricks that will engage your customers and get them to buy. The other talks about how a landing page can get you more customers and grow your business. (Yes, I linked to both of them. Please feel free to share.)

I’m attending 2 conferences in one week, because I’m insane. One is the Leadpages conference, CONVERTED, the other is a conference for freelance copywriters, AWAI’s Bootcamp and Job Fair. I expect to make more potential client contacts there as well, and to convert some of those folks into clients.

Despite the fact that I haven’t reached my goal, I’m not upset. I’m quite happy. I may not be where I wanted to be by this time, but I am making money doing what I love. My business is growing, I’m getting new clients and learning lots along the way.

If you’re traveling along this same path with me, I hope you’re not discouraged if you don’t meet your goals. Instead, I hope you keep striving to meet those goals and when you do, you get to celebrate, just like I will when I meet mine.

As always, thank you for following along on my journey. Please do comment below. I love to hear from you about what you think of my progress and how you’re doing on your own journey.

Cheers,
Tanya

You Need to Use Video Marketing to Promote Your Business – Now!

September 14, 2016 by Tanya Brody Leave a Comment

I have a secret identity. (Shhhh. I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone else!)

Along with being a professional copywriter and marketing consultant, I’m also a professional musician. I play the harp (yes, the kind that angels play) and I used to tour with a Celtic band called The Muses. I don’t play anywhere near as much as I used to, but I still do shows a few times a year.

Last Thursday, I performed as part of something called 5 to 10 on Hennepin. It’s an event put on by Hennepin Theater Trust, one of our local arts organizations here in Minnesota. They’ve started bringing in performers and musicians every Thursday evening to highlight the arts scene in downtown Minneapolis.

Well, during my stint, I decided to record a couple of Facebook Live videos to my Tanya Brody – Words and Music page, just to see how it worked and if they’d get any traction. I had a friend of mine record while I was playing. No crazy cameras or extra tech. Just my smartphone and a person holding it.

I was incredibly pleased with the results.

One of the videos reached 354 people and got 88 views. The other reached 1,641 people and got 646 views. That was without boosting the posts. I didn’t have to pay Facebook for exposure for either of these videos, and they got a great response. (Well, for me, anyway.)

Why does this matter?

Consider this. As of my writing this article, my Tanya Brody – Copywriter page has 233 likes. That means any post I put on that page should show up in the feeds of 233 people. (So long as Facebook doesn’t change its algorithm.)

My Tanya Brody – Words and Music page has 120 likes. So those videos only showed up in the feeds of 120 people. Yet those two videos got far more views than anything I’ve posted on my copywriting page in the last month and a half.

I only put up my copywriting Facebook page recently. I’ve had my music page for years. And it’s gotten more exposure in the last week than anything I’ve ever posted on there before.

Why am I telling you this story?

It’s a really roundabout way of showing you that video marketing is the current (and future) trend.

2016: The Year of Video

Actually, people have been using video in marketing for years, on and off line. But it’s become so popular that many of the social media platforms are giving it preference in people’s feeds.

But a lot of major companies, like Red Bull, Netflix, GoPro and Amazon, are using a lot more video to engage with their audiences. YouTube reports that mobile video consumption is rising by 100% every year. Right now, 1/3 (yes, that’s one third, desktop and mobile,) of all online activity is spent watching videos.

And, most people spend 1 to 2 minutes watching a video. That means more time spent engaged with your company, product or service.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that when a friend of yours is using Facebook Live, they show up at the top of your feed. Their post will even show up at or toward the top of your feed for several hours after they posted it.

It turns out that native video uploads to Facebook (meaning not linked from somewhere else) have 10 times the reach of those posted on YouTube. Facebook is definitely on the video bandwagon.

That’s a lot of video. And it’s a great opportunity for you to get more exposure for your business.

Think about it. If my little Facebook Live videos got as much engagement as they did, without any additional work on my part, imagine how much video could increase your bottom line. According to Aberdeen Group, businesses using video marketing grow their company revenue 49% faster, year after year, compared to companies that don’t use video marketing.

How to Add Video Marketing to Your Marketing Plan

Yes, like me, you’re a small business. You don’t have a lot of money to make fancy, expensive videos showing off your products or services. Fortunately, you don’t need them. All you really need is a cellphone with video capability and a way to keep it stable while you record.

As an example, here’s a short video I recorded with my smartphone and a little tripod. It’s a list of topic ideas for videos:

I’m seeing an increase in people recording videos for their businesses in their cars, or while they’re putting together their products. Yes, you want your video to look as “good” or “professional” as possible. But the real goal is to insert your personality into the video so you (and your video) stand out from your competition.

“Hey, Why Are You, a Copywriter, Talking About Video?”

Because I’m also a marketing consultant. My job is to help you find the best ways to market your business. Video is quickly becoming one of those “best ways.” So, yeah, I’m going to talk about it.

Besides. You’ll still need me to write the landing pages you’re going to stick these videos on, and the scripts for the videos, or the video sales letters (VSL) you’re going to use to sell your products or services. So I’ve got plenty of job security.

Speaking of that whole marketing consultant thing, click on the button below to download my Video Topic Stimulus List so you have ideas for your videos going forward.

Download the Video Topic Stimulus List

I added a few more ideas than I mentioned in the video above, so you’ll have even more fodder for your new video marketing series.

How do You Use Video in Your Marketing?

What kinds of videos do you make? Do you use video at all? If not, why not? Tell me about it in the comments.

How to Stay Focused When You’re Having a Distracted Work Day

August 30, 2016 by Tanya Brody Leave a Comment

A distracted work day. You know the kind of day I mean. You sit down to get some work done, but the mojo just isn’t flowing. You can’t produce whatever it is you’re supposed to be producing. (In my case, it’s writing.) It’s not that you’re blocked or you don’t know what you’re doing. You just can’t stay focused.

So you sit there staring at whatever it is you should be doing. (In my case, a blank page in Word.) And since that doesn’t help, you decide to go putter around on Facebook. Where you waste half an hour of your precious time.

Still nothing. (Grrrrr)

So you get up to do something, and promptly forget what it was you were going to do. You end up staring out the window at the squirrels chasing each other around the yard, or something similar. Until you snap out of it and realize you’re supposed to be working.

When you’re a small business owner, this can be a serious problem. You have to stay focused to stay in business. You know you have to get your work done. But the only person to keep you on task is… well… you.

If you can’t buckle down and get your work done, you’ll have some very disappointed customers and an empty bank account. Not a good combination.

So how do you get yourself back on track?

Here are 4 ideas on how to stay focused when you work for yourself and you’re just not able to concentrate on your work.

Walk Away for a While

Yes, this sounds counter intuitive. But it works. If you’re unable to concentrate on what you’re doing, get up and do something totally unrelated to what you’re trying to accomplish.

Here are the things I tend to do when I can’t stay focused:

Go for a walk: I find that getting out of my house and clearing my head helps me get back on track when I get back to my computer (or whatever it is I’m doing).

Do a couple of chores or errands: I spend a few minutes tidying the kitchen or putting in a load of laundry. If I can run a short errand, I’ll do that to get myself out of the house and out of my own head.

Do something in the same general field, but not directly related to your current project: For example, I sit down and read books or articles on marketing. I usually find something that inspires me and helps me to continue with the project I should really be working on.

Work on a Different Project

I know that as a freelancer, I like to have several projects I’m working on at once, so if I get stuck on one of them, I can pick up another and stay productive.

I do this when it comes to my own work for marketing my business as well. You’re reading this blog post because I was having a terrible time writing the post I’d started on this week, about using social proof in your marketing. You’ll probably see that one next week, when I’ve had more time to ponder.

Do More Research

Sometimes you can’t figure out what you’re doing because you don’t have all the information you need. Yes, this can even happen when you’re making something you’ve made hundreds of times before.

I used to have this issue when I was building period costumes for Renaissance Festival performers. Sometimes I’d have to stop sewing and go back to look at my original reference material. Or I’d have to look up period methods of construction so I got the look of whatever I was making “right,” even if I was using modern materials.

I do this today when I’m writing. I may sit down with an idea of what I want to write, but once I’m faced with an empty page, I realize I’m missing information I need to get my point across to you. So I spend some time searching the Internet or my own library. That way I do a better job of writing and you get a more useful resource.

Plunge in and Do It Anyway

This may be more effective for those of us who have the opportunity to revise than for people who are manufacturing the same product over and over. But it can still apply.

When I write, I know I’m writing a first draft. So I sit down and put something “on paper.” (Okay, on the screen.) When I’m having a distracted day, this can take a while. And it usually doesn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. But it’s a start.

Even if I end up trashing the whole thing, writing that first draft has gotten the juices flowing. The next time around, I end up with something I can use. And with some careful editing, it becomes a finished product that I can present to my client for review. Or to you as a blog post, like this one.

Ultimately, You’re the One in Charge

One of the lovely things about being your own boss is you get to make the decisions. So if you decide to work late to make up for lost time, you can. By the same token, you’re also the one responsible for getting the work done.

There will be days when your brain just can’t or won’t focus on the project at hand. On those days, be gentle with yourself and coax that brain back to work. Yelling at it (and yourself) rarely helps you stay focused.

Once you get back in that groove, enjoy it and get as much of it done as you can. And hold on to that groove as long as possible. Until the next time your brain gets distracted. Then try the tactics in this blog post again.

How do You Stay Focused?

Do you have certain things you do to get yourself in the work groove? How do you break the distracted cycle? Tell me about it in the comments.