Copywriting Productivity Tools

April 4th, 2008 by Shirley Grant 1 comment »

By Michel Fortin

When I write copy, some tools help me tremendously. Whether it’s the copy itself, or interactions with my clients, there are certain websites I use that help make it a lot easier for me.

There are quite a few pieces of software, so let me just stick with the web-based ones. How about posting yours? What are some of the tools you use in your work to improve your productivity?

Here are some of mine…

Google Writely

Google is coming out with some pretty impressive tools of late. Writely is certainly one of them.

Writely is an online web-based word processor. Great for writing copy and sharing/collaborating, especially with other copywriters, clients, associates, etc. The beauty is that it can also import and export in various formats, including MS Word, Rich Text, HTML, OpenOffice, image files, and even zipped files.

Google Notebook

Research is an incredible part of our job as copywriters. Surfing the web or reading your email, you will come across a ton of passages and clippings you want to copy, reference to, gather for data research purposes, quote in your copy, get ideas from, etc.

Google Notebook is an personal online repository of all things important. It even offers a browser plugin to copy clippings on the web, save images, add sticky notes and file bookmarks, on the fly. You can easily “click and store” as you browse.

Google Spreadsheets

I use to have a PC-based spreadsheet to keep track of all my copywriting projects, which my junior copywriters, my accountant and my assistant had access to and could work on. But emailing back and forth was a nightmare.

Like Writely, Google Spreadsheet makes it possible to have it all in one central location, online. It even imports and exports in a variety of popular spreadsheet formats, including Excel, CSV, text, and so on.

Google Analytics

I love Google Analytics. Not only is it free, but Google Analytics is a lot more than your typical traffic and web-tracking software (giving you typical stats like referrers, pageviews, search engine traffic, keywords, etc). It’s also a really cool split-tester and conversion tracker.

When I test copy, or when I want to track how well the copy I wrote for a client performs, I simply add a snippet of code on the salesletter and another on the resulting action page (i.e., “thank you” page). And that’s just an iceberg’s tip of the information you can gather.

SendThisFile.com

When I need to send files — like copy work, video, images, etc — that are too large, either for my email or my client’s email, I used to upload it to my server and email the link. (Not only is this a two-step process, it’s also taxing on my resources.)

Now, I use SendThisFile to email any size file to my clients/associates in a snap. You enter the recipient’s data (and you can even send files to multiple recipients), browse to your file on your hard drive, upload, and send. That’s it!

BaseCamp

BaseCamp is a project management system and central repository I use to share information between clients, co-workers and junior copywriters.

It’s complete with message boards, group emails, whiteboards, file sharing, to-do lists, milestone planning, discussion room, goal setting, and more. One of the benefits is that, when I need information from a client, rather than a phone call or email, the client can respond via BaseCamp and it keeps, sorts and tags important communications.

Answers.com

Answers.com is an online dictionary. But it’s a lot more than that. While you can use it as a research tool, Answers.com also offers a free downloadable program that sits in your system tray and works at any time, when you need it the most.

While writing your copy or doing research, you simply ALT-click any word or phrase in any document, web page or software, and out pops up a window giving you: dictionary, encyclopedia, almanac, references, web searches, wiki entries, translations, thesaurus, you name it. All in one.

Textalyzer

MS Word offers a readability analysis built-in. This is great when you want to know if you’re using words that are too complex. (The best copy is almost always easily readable at a 6-7th grade level.) But what if you use FrontPage? Or if it’s online?

That’s where Textalyzer comes in. (It’s also a great tool for SEO purposes.) Need to know the word count, sentence count or character count of your copy? Perhaps to quote fees, measure project sizes or analyze competitor’s copy? Textalyzer does it all for you online.

RhymeZone

Sometimes, you need a word that rhymes. Or you’re looking for a famous quote. Or you’re looking for a word but can’t seem to find it in a dictionary. Or you want to quote a famous passage, adage or document (like the US Constitution).

Enter RhymeZone. It’s a writer’s all-in-one reference tool. It will even search word variations, antonyms, homophones, spellings, you name it. It’s an awesome tool I use quite often.

iDictate

Often, I need to transcribe copy I’ve recorded, a telephone conversation (such as one with a client), a teleseminar, or an audio file that’s relevant to my copy. iDictate is an online service that will transcribe audio files of any type and email you a document by email within a few hours.

It’s all done by human beings. (This is important since software, like Dragon Naturally Speaking, have to be trained and can only transcribe the speaker who trained it.) They even offer a 1-800 recording service, which is great for doing it on the phone.

I have more, but hopefully this will get things started.

— About the Author —
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, marketing strategy consultant, and instrumental in some of the most lucrative online businesses and wildly successful marketing campaigns to ever hit the web. For more articles like this one, please visit his blog at http://www.michelfortin.com/ and subscribe to his RSS feed.
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1 comment »

Posted in Article Writing

How to Get Instant Targeted Traffic Without Paying For It

March 8th, 2008 by Shirley Grant No comments »

Traffic is the life-blood of your Internet business.

No traffic, no business.

So how do you get traffic?

With joint ventures and affiliates you’re relying on someone else to get you the
traffic.

Your business (and the size of your bank account) is in their hands.

With hocus pocus SEO techniques, you’ve got to stay a step ahead of the search
engines.

Good luck.

With pay-per-click, you’re p-a-y-i-n-g.

Through the nose.

Forever and ever.

Ouch.

What if you can get INSTANT targeted traffic to every single one of your sites,
courtesy of the search engines?

No, not Adwords.

You NEVER ever have to pay for this traffic.

http://www.mmezine.com/recommends/gsnatch

There is a whole world of buyers out there looking for what you have to offer.

And you don’t need to pay Google (or anyone) for them to beat a path to your
website.

Think about it… you can actually earn 5 or 6 figures a year without spending a
cent on advertising.

This means you can start earning NOW, without an investment.

And you can do this whether you have your own products, or you’re an affiliate.

Doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that YOU get the traffic you need to make your living online
NOW, starting today.

http://www.mmezine.com/recommends/gsnatch

Shirley A Grant

P.S. No matter how much you’re currently spending on Adwords, it’s too much. Why
PAY for traffic when you can get the same traffic for…
nada…
zip…
zero…
zilch…
diddly-squat…
and don’t forget…
F*R*E*E?

http://www.mmezine.com/recommends/gsnatch

P.P.S. Not paying for Adwords? Scrounging for traffic where ever you can find it? Stop
wasting your time on the latest SEO voodoo, and stop chasing affiliates. Get
your own steady stream of traffic NOW.

http://www.mmezine.com/recommends/gsnatch

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Posted in Traffic Generation

Free Website Traffic Generation Techniques For The Little Guy

September 24th, 2007 by Shirley Grant 1 comment »

By Akin Alabi

The importance of generating website traffic cannot be over emphasized. We all need to generate a decent amount of traffic to our website. Without it, your online businesses will all die. The higher the traffic you are able to generate to your website, the better your site will perform all things being equal so we really need to go out there to get the traffic.

Generating website traffic can be a daunting and expensive venture if you don’t know how to go about it. But if you do, you will find it extremely rewarding. Today, I’m going to reveal to your three website traffic generation techniques anyone can begin to use starting today. I call them the website traffic generation techniques for the little guy.

Here they are.

Little Guy Traffic Generation 1: Post Comments on Blogs

Search for blogs related to your niche. Go to their comments segments and drop useful comments. Drop comments people will appreciate you for. Resist all temptations to directly advertise. Make insightful comments and leave your link behind.

Little Guy Traffic Generation 2: Forum Participation

Participating in forums is a great way to drive targeted traffic to your website. Search for forums related to your niche and begin to post your comments. Respond to people’s questions and genuinely help them. Have a very decent signature line with your link in it and people will find you.

Little Guy Traffic Generation 3: Offline Article Marketing

This method involves writing quality articles and sending to targeted and niche newspapers and magazines. In the past, I used to think that only professional writers and journalists were allowed to contribute. Not so. If you send in quality articles, many editors will use them. Editors are always looking for contents. If they see you are ready to write quality articles for them for FREE, they will take a second look.

Start using those techniques today and I guarantee you will see positive results in no time.

I wish you all the best.

Akin Alabi

Make Your First Sale Online In The Next 24 Hours. 100% Guaranteed. Get More Details at http://www.FirstAffiliateSale.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Akin_Alabi

1 comment »

Posted in Traffic Generation

5 New Rules For Link Building

September 17th, 2007 by Shirley Grant 2 comments »

By Jerret Turner

There’s no doubt, one way links work for search positioning. But, have you considered that what works today may not work in the future? One exciting aspect about search engines is that nobody really knows everything. That leaves room for webmasters who are willing to research, test, and put into practice the best search engine optimization techniques.

These five rules for one way linking can help steer you in the right direction.

Rule #1: You have to be proactive. Google considers a high quality link something you have to earn. You earn these links by partnering with sites. In order for a partnership to work, you have to develop a relationship. I think more webmasters are open to establishing vital community relationships. It takes trust and a lot of patience for these relationships to build. Focus on what you can do for someone else first.

» Read more: 5 New Rules For Link Building

2 comments »

Posted in Getting Links, Traffic Generation

Common reasons why your ad did not work

August 13th, 2007 by Shirley Grant No comments »

Have you ever purchased an ad in an ezine and gotten
little or no response?

When this happens, most people get annoyed with the
ezine publisher and vow to never buy advertising in that
ezine ever again.But what never enters their heads, is that
the problem is usually with the ad that they chose to run.

No one wants to hear that their lack of response is due
to the ad they chose to use being the same as dozens of
others that are seen everyday. But with a few
simple fixes, that ad can pull sales the way it was
supposed to.

Here are a few common ad problems and how to twist them
for maximum selling potential.

1. Your ad must stand out in a crowd.
People get dozens of solo ads in their inboxes every
day, and if the subject line of your ad is the same as
every other affiliates/resellers of that program, then
people will have seen it countless times before and
will delete it without ever seeing your ad copy.

2. Once you get them to open your ad.
You sound like everyone else. You may offer a
product or service that many people want, but your ad
does not communicate this because it appears like all
the others. If you cannot let consumers know that you
offer something that stands apart from the rest, they
do not really care.

Look for a benefit only you can provide. A problem only
you can solve. If your product or service offers
nothing entirely unique, highlight something your
competitors fail to mention.

3. You did not give your ad enough time.
Keep in mind the rule of seven. Seven out of ten people
will not respond to your ad the first time they see it.
Try not to give up before you give your ad a good run.
When you advertise the same ad over and over again, you
give the bulk of your audience time to really absorb
the message.

Have a professional write your ad to ensure that it is
written for maximum selling power. Then run the ad over
and over again in different mediums like newspapers,
ezines, sig files in email, etc. Your audience will see
you, remember you, think about you, then buy from you.

4. Your ad worked, but your site did not. Who knows,
maybe your ad did work like a charm. Maybe people
flocked to your site to buy. And maybe when they got to
the site, they decided not to buy because they could
not find the order button or because the information
was not clear.

If your site is not clear, people will not trust you,
and therefore, will not buy from you. Make sure your
site design is simple to navigate and your information
is written in a concise manner.

To instil the confidence of your customers in you, put
up a photo of yourself on the contact page, along with
a phone number. The fact that you can be reached by
phone goes a long way to making people trust you.
Include testimonials from past customers. Make sure you
have the full name of those from whom you include
testimonials.

5. You did not stick to your marketing plan. All
successful marketers have a plan. They do not just
wander randomly through the world of advertising. Your
plan may not work right away, but that is another thing
you have to plan for.

Do not give up. Just when you are ready to throw in the
towel, that is when things are likely to turn around.
These things take time. If you follow the guidelines
above, great response to your ads is inevitable.

When your ad doesn’t bring you the results you hoped
for, look for one of the problems above. Fix the
problem, do not give up and try again. That is the
professional way to advertise your business. Stay with
it and you will see professional results.

=======================================

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shirley Grant has been online since 2000 and publishing
the MMEzine since 2001.
Subscribe to the MMEzine today to receive more informative
articles, low and no-cost tools and resources for your online
business.
http://mmezine.com/opt-in.html

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Posted in Ezine Advertising

Secret JV Profits

August 7th, 2007 by Shirley Grant 1 comment »

Do you have a product that you have created and are trying to sell online?

Do you get the feeling that if only you could multiply your efforts, you would be on your way to a small fortune from the sales of your product?

There is a way that your efforts can be multiplied and you can start on your road to internet riches.

Dylan Loh has just released his latest product……

Secret JV Profits

Inside this jam packed 19 page pdf, Dylan tells you:-

  • Why JVs are the way to go
  • How to get JV partners begging you to let them promote your product
  • ‘Tricks’ of the Trade

And much more!

At only $9, this ebook is well worth the time and money to purchase, download and read.

Once you have purchased the ebook, you will be able to turn round and sell it for 100% commission. It is as easy as adding your email address to a url.

There is also a Fast Action Bonus, if you purchase before the offer ends, you will also get to download an Audio Interview Package at no extra cost.

Don’t wait too long, click on the link to get your copy today and start on your road to Internet Riches through JV Marketing.

Get Secret JV Profits Today!

1 comment »

Posted in Joint Venture Marketing

How To Instantly Sell 65% More Of Your Products Or Services

August 6th, 2007 by Shirley Grant No comments »

By Kenny Love

Even though language translation software has been available for several years now, few website owners are using it.

This is, I suspect, largely because website owners have not been consistently educated on the tremendous benefits of this particularly vital tool as well as its idea not having been widely promoted or publicized. As such, it is possibly considered more of a website embellishment than a business necessity. This is ironic because, even though the Internet/World Wide Web literally presents us to the world via our websites, most of us simply (and perhaps, naturally) present our site information in our geographically limited and comfortable native languages.

Yet, in limiting our sites to our native languages, we are significantly decreasing our opportunities to not only show our interest in other cultures and their respective languages, but we are also eliminating our chances to create lifetime foreign customers, clients and their respective sales, as well as limiting our opportunities for true international business growth while establishing international business relationships.

To support my idea on why language translation software is a vital tool for any website owner, regardless of the nature of the site’s business or the products or services that it distributes, as an example, while a good portion of the world speaks the language of English to some degree, other “first language” persons would, obviously, prefer and feel more comfortable with being able to review any website’s content in their own native language.

If you are a natural English speaking individual, simply consider how you feel when you access a website that is in a language other than English, and a language that you do not understand. Comprehension can be a struggle, at best, and you are very likely to simply exit the site without further review.

However, in this particular instance, this situation does not only apply to English website owners, but from my experience of reviewing websites in other languages, it equally applies to non English sites as well.

However and again, it does appear that cultures outside of English markets tend to make more of an effort to reach out to English speaking markets by presenting their websites in, at least, the English language as an alternative.

Statistics reveal that by not having language translation software installed on websites, regardless of the sites’ native language or how well the site produces financially, website owners may be losing as much as 65% in sales of their products or services that they could otherwise be enjoying if their site presented itself in multiple languages. This is because these particular foreign markets are not even aware of the sites since the single language sites do not make a proactive effort to promote and publicize themselves to foreign language individuals. This is a great disservice to both the website owner as well as to the prospective website visitor.

By default, it is safe to assume that a respectable number of potential foreign language customers and clients searching online “accidentally” discover any given site, yet, will pass on reviewing the site if it is not in their native language. However, consider the greater chances of attracting those same foreign individuals as sales prospects or lifetime customers if only the site were available in their native languages. In this age of competition and niche market specialization, any website owner can utilize all of the assistance and information available to not only maintain their site’s sales, but to continually increase sales as well.

Now, regardless of what you currently earn from your website annually, imagine what the financial impact of a 65% increase in online customers or clients, a number of whom are likely to translate into online buyers, could do for your annual incomecompared to previous years.

Also, consider how beneficial your having already established a relationship with your foreign customers or clients via having their native language available on your site can tremendously benefit you should you attend business conventions or other business related functions in their countries.

At the very least, you will have an immediate advantage over your competition that has not taken the time to consider the greatly added value of installing language translation software on their websites and how it can benefit them dramatically.
__________________________________________________

Editor’s Note: Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a firm specializing in promotion and publicity for the entertainment
industry as well as representing unique products and services.
To learn more information regarding language translation software and how it can immediately benefit your website,
visit MuBiz.com at http://www.MuBiz.com/MultiSpeak.html

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Posted in Website Building