Good Copy Fast

Many aspiring freelancers contact me to learn more about how to run a successful solo business. A great place to start is by visiting The Wealthy Freelancer Web site. Founded by three thought leaders in the freelancing industry, Steve Slaunwhite, Ed Gandia, and Pete Savage, the site features resources and blog entries about surviving — and thriving — as a self-employed professional.

Tip: At their site, they’re offering three free downloadable chapters of their new book, The Wealthy Freelancer. If you subscribe to their online newsletter, you’ll also gain access to four free reports on attracting clients, landing projects, increasing your income and time off, and optimizing direct mail campaigns. Enjoy!

Check out this PDF from Marketing Experiments:

Clarity Trumps Persuasion: How changing the first seven seconds of user experience drove a 201% gain

Research reveals high-performing companies make consistent, accurate internal and external communication a priority. View the full report from Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Capitalizing on Effective Communication: How Courage, Innovation and Discipline Drive Business Results in Challenging Times.

Useful links to learn more about social media, free:

• Social Media Examiner: Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
• GasPedal
• BlogWell
• Marketing Experiments: Web site, email, search engine, and PPC campaign optimization education and information

I’ll continue to update this list as resources become available.

A great way to generate leads is to drive traffic to your Web site. Free, educational content lures them in, while allowing you to demonstrate yourself as a thought leader. In exchange for current and prospective customers’ contact information, you might offer:

• A link to an RSS feed of your blog
• Subscriptions to your eNewsletter
• Viewable Webinars and presentations
• Audible Internet talk radio programs
• Downloadable white papers or guides

Every time you create a presentation, receive a success story, or develop educational content, consider how it might benefit current and prospective customers. Chances are, you can capture the content, post it online, and spread the word to educate others about your content, while gathering information about those who might benefit from your products or services.

By subscribing to blogs via RSS, you benefit from the ability to review content from multiple sites you subscribe to in one spot: your RSS feed.

There are many RSS feeds available. I use Google Reader, which is compatible with my Gmail account.

Gmail is a free email service that offers exceptional memory for current and archived email messages, a calendar, an address book, live video/audio chat functionality, and much more.

To practice, while continuing to receive useful tips from me, click on “Subscribe to the GoodCopyFast.com blog.” This will take you to my RSS feed. Copy, paste, enter, and add the RSS feed Web address into your RSS reader.

On Aug. 13, 2009, BlogWell Minneapolis, a social media event hosted by General Mills, featured speakers from McDonald’s, Mayo Clinic, CME Group, General Mills, AccuQuote, Ford, Progressive, and Walmart. Presentation themes included how to support online word of mouth, using social media at all levels of a corporation, social media for the analytic marketer, engaging in social media in “unsocial” industries, engaging with massive audiences, and using social media to reach online influencers. View presentations, free.

Nationwide Blogwell events are sponsored by GasPedal, an organization that teaches how to create word of mouth marketing, blogs, social media, communities, and viral marketing.

Just like in The Jetsons (a futuristic cartoon that was popular in the 1980s), I’ve been able to do live video/audio chats through Gmail with clients, friends and relatives. It’s a free service and takes only a couple of minutes to set up.

If you have a camera on your computer, simply (create and) open up your Gmail account and download a plugin. Access video/audio chat plugin and instructions within Gmail here.

It’s a great way to meet face-to-face. Hope to see you live, on screen, soon.

When you need good copy yesterday,
contact Melanie today.

She’ll meet with you in person, via email, or over the phone to gather the information required to complete your writing projects efficiently, on time, and within your budget.