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How to Deal with Good Clients Turned Slow Payers

24/8/2016

Frustrating as it may be, good clients can turn into scarily unreliable ones. Knowing how to deal with one takes patience and a good deal of biting back what you really think of them!

Building up a good relationship with an online client has a real "feel good" factor about it. Not only is it guaranteed work - rare in the copywriting world - but as time passes, you get to know what your customer likes and dislikes which is a real bonus!

The problem is that if a working relationship is successful, the old adage of familiarity breeds contempt can often creep into the picture. An invoice that was once paid on receipt becomes one that gets put in a client's virtual "in-tray" - which is a liberty that should never go ignored, more especially if the work you've provided has helped improve a client's overall ranking.

How to deal with a reliable payer turned bad

It takes a lot of diplomacy and self control dealing with a once "good payer". After all, you don't want to lose their custom, but at the same time you can't afford to have any outstanding invoices hanging around. So, what do you do? How to you broach the subject with the client?

First: send a gentle reminder which can be politely penned 5 to 7 days of the date of invoice

Second: wait another 5 days and repeat the process without the word "gentle" in your reminder and asking if there was a problem with the work

Third: after a further 5 working days have elapsed and the client still does not respond or settle the outstanding invoice, it's time to take the gloves off and a dreaded "red letter" making sure you are quite firm by stating the invoice is "very overdue"

What to do if client turns shirty

At the end of the day if the client pays but gets a bit shirty over the reminders they've received, you have to sit back, swallow hard and make an even harder decision. You have to ask yourself if you really need to cope with that sort of stress? The sad truth is that you are the only person in a position to know whether you can afford to give up a "good client" that's turned into a bad or slow payer.

Lastly,

The problem is that our industry (virtual copywriting) is among those where clients don't think they should pay a deposit or the full amount for work they commission which is quite extraordinary. You don't get to go to a supermarket and buy a product you've never tasted before and expect not to pay for the goods until you're happy that it's what you expected it to be! With this is mind, the work you do for a client remains yours until it is paid for in full - as such my advice is to start a blog and publish any work that goes "unpaid" on it so at least a "good client turned bad or slow payer" who uses your unpaid copy would be risking Google's wrath for publishing duplicate content!

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Staying the course

18/8/2016

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As a copywriter, understanding the importance of consistency is crucial. Not only do we have to find work and set up a realistic writing schedule, but we also have to make sure we don't let the bar drop when it comes to quality. It's all too easy to get a bit slack and churn out a piece quickly without having done the necessary research. When things are rushed mistakes go unnoticed, whether it's a typo, a badly constructed sentence or some other thing that lets the side down and once that "send" button is clicked, there's no turning back!

Staying focussed

All too often copywriters spread themselves a little too thin by writing about things they know nothing about. Not only does it require a lot more research which means spending more time checking out any relevant facts, but disguising the fact you actually know nothing about the topic can be extremely hard - even for the most seasoned copywriter. This is when it's far too easy to let yourself down - not to mention the client!

Staying focussed can be challenging at the best of times, but when work is slow it can prove even harder. The key is to stay on the ball and to use these "quiet times" positively. It's a great time to check over a portfolio, making sure it contains top notch copy with the emphasis being placed on topics that showcase your writing skills to the max.

Checking out the competition

It's also important to check out the "competition" which can help decide whether or not your services are up to par or if your writing skills need to be honed so they stand out from the crowd. Reading copy that you wrote in the past can either be a great experience or it can be a harsh one. But it's good to do every once in a while because anything you don't like about your copy gets highlighted in your mind. The next piece you write should read a whole lot better and phrases flow smoothly. In short, never get too complacent and always be ready and eager to improve things.

Working on proposals

The way a proposal is worded can be the "make or break" on whether a client awards you a project or whether you get passed over for someone else. A lot of freelancing platforms allow members to post projects for free which is something you should take advantage of. A great way of finding out how other copywriters word their proposals, is to post a project yourself and then browse through the bids as they come in.

You won't get into trouble for doing this every now and again, even if you don't award the project to anyone. You may want to take things a step further by awarding the project which allows you to check out the person's copy, making sure you award it to a competent freelancer you think is up there with the best of them!

Keeping things short and sweet

Writing is an art. Where articles, content and blog posts are concerned, keeping sentences short and sweet have a much greater impact on readers than longer, drawn out phrases that get audiences "yawning" halfway through them. When you read anything online, the chances are you scan the text to find things of interest rather than go through every sentence from beginning to end so it's essential to bear in mind that anyone reading your copy will most probably do the same!

Using time intelligently

Using your time intelligently pays dividends whether you're working on a project or not. It's a big mistake to take on too much because the quality of your work will undoubtedly suffer. Clients will notice a drop in the standard which in short, means it's a much better idea to take on less knowing that you won't drop the bar when it comes to customer satisfaction.

A happy client is one who will always come back so it's important to keep them happy without sacrificing your standards or your work ethics.

Lastly,

It can be hard not having any work in your inbox, but using your free time wisely when there aren't any deadlines to meet, can be amazingly constructive - even if the pennies aren't coming in.Time spent checking over a portfolio, reviewing a client list or checking out what the competition is doing, can pay dividends. Chasing projects you know nothing about can prove detrimental to your profile and having to spend a massive amount of time researching a topic you know nothing about is not only stressful, but it eats into your hourly rate too!

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Getting to Grips with Social Media Marketing

10/8/2016

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Almost everyone uses social media platforms these days, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Linkedin. If you want to get people talking about a brand or more importantly committing to buy what’s on offer, then social media marketing is definitely one of the ways forward.

Quality counts

It's all too easy to think that more followers no matter who they are, will create more interest and therefore generate more sales, but nothing could be further from the truth. Followers need to be engaged, have an interest in what's on offer and more importantly, they have to want what you're selling them. If they’re interested, then there’s a good chance their friends will be interested too. In short, it's essential to focus on your target audience, the "incidentals" will find their own way to your site – eventually.

Essential Links

Links are essential when it comes to social media marketing. If visitors can't find what they're looking for straight away, they'll be gone at the click of a button. Creating a link in a blog post, tweet or on a Facebook page is as easy as it gets, which means you'd be crazy not to do it. Driving traffic to a site is the whole point of social media marketing, making it a simple and enjoyable experience is an absolute necessity. It’s the first of many steps in developing a brilliant and effective online marketing campaign. If you’re posting on any of the social media platforms, make sure you’re pointing people in your direction for all the right reasons and not just for the sake of it.

Social media buttons

It works the other way too. If somebody purchases something from you, get them to tell other people about it. Customers won't go to the trouble of logging into personal social media accounts and sharing the news with their pals, no matter how impressed they are with their purchase. With this said, they might, but much further down the line. Adding the right social media buttons to a site makes the whole process a whole lot easier for all concerned. The trick is to add the relevant and most effective buttons to a site, making sure they suit both your image and your brand.

Which platforms?

With such a wide choice of social media platforms, you’ll need to decide which is right for you. In a nutshell, your decision has to be based around your target audience, the amount of time you have available to nurture the platform and sometimes the amount of money you're prepared to spend on the whole deal.

Once you've made your decision, it's time to focus on just one or two of them. It’s far better to have a regular, professional approach on a couple of platforms than set up five or six which are bound to get neglected from time to time. Consistency is the name of the game when getting a brand noticed.

Get to know your audience

Lastly, take time out to interact with your audience, whether you choose to “like” a comment, retweet a tweet or share feedback with others who may be interested too. It’s vital to maintain a conversation while at the same time presenting the kind of brand image you want to put across. Get it right and you’ll reap the rewards of social media marketing. The trick is to get your brand showcased to a massive audience remembering it won't happen overnight, it takes time and commitment - which in short means you have to work at it and be consistent.

Guest Post by Sam R - The Hilltop Gardener

You can check out Sam's profile here

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Finding the Right Company to Manage Your Digital Marketing

20/11/2015

Finding the right company to manage all your digital campaigns and marketing takes a bit of time and effort because the last thing you want to do is go down the "trial and error" route which could prove costly to your business.

It's good to know exactly what to expect of the company, but it's crucial they be willing to sit down and listen to how you want your business to be perceived. It's also essential to come to terms with the fact that nothing will happen over night because building up a social media presence takes time. Then of course, the various platforms used need to be maintained which is a time consuming business when carefully managed.

You can do the work in-house, but would the person's time be better spent elsewhere within the company and are they clued up enough to manage your social media in a professional manner? These are questions that need answering before coming to any decisions.

As previously touched upon, it can be a time consuming affair finding the right social media marketing company to work with, but the effort you put in at the outset would be time well spent later on when the results start coming in.

There's a myriad of companies out there that provide this service - some claim to be geniuses at what they do, others are more conservative in their claims and these are the guys you should be taking seriously and talking to. If a company suggests they can perform miracles by getting your business and online presence noticed on a global scale in no time at all - leave well alone because it just won't happen. Unless, of course, you've come up with a business idea that rivals that of Steve Jobs.

There are different levels of social media management and marketing to consider as well. It could be that you only need the basics or maybe your business merits a more in-depth campaign to get things off the ground and moving. Very recently, we reviewed one company that's worth checking out which is Hannon Digital, a London-based business that employs people who really know their stuff with the added bonus of them being huge rugby fans!

Author: Honey M Wood

Countdown to Mobilegeddon Begins: Are You Ready?

14/4/2015

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image source Pixabay

In January, Google launched its mobile test tool as the countdown to what is being referred to as Mobilegeddon began. The questions most people would like answered is how far-reaching will this new update actually be and what will happen if they don't update their sites by Google's deadline which is penciled in for 21st April?

What Will Happen if You Don't Update?

In truth, until Google actually launches its newest update nobody really knows, although there have been a few “give-away clues”. One of which was back in February when Google launched its useful “mobile-friendly test” that shows just how Googlebots perceive existing websites and whether they are mobile-friendly or not.

Most people have kept up with the times making sure websites are mobile-friendly simply because the market has demanded they do so. However, to answer the question “what will happen if you don't update your site” - the answer is your site will not rank as highly in Google's mobile searches which means you stand to lose out on a lot of traffic.

In short, the new update is set to improve rankings of mobile-friendly sites that enhance user experience on mobile devices. Websites that are not run the risk of being demoted. However, it's important to bear in mind Google's mobile-friendly update is set to affect mobile search results only and not those done on a laptop or desktop computer.

On top of this, the algorithm is set to be applied globally and will be done “page by page” in real time. What does this all mean? That every page will be judged separately to assess whether it is mobile-friendly or not. In short, if some of your pages are not but others are, you might just find your site would not be affected or adversely ranked as being unfriendly depending on how many pages are friendly and how many are not.

You would also lose out on the “real time” aspect of the update which allows you to assess just how beneficial it's been to make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Those that are will be crawled by Googlebots which will establish the fact before the new algorithm rewards them. However, if a page was updated and turns out to be unfriendly, the result would be reversed when your site is crawled by Googlebots and you may find the reward is to see your site demoted a little further down the line.

Google's End Goal

Google's end goal is to enhance searcher experience with their new update turning frustration into a more positive and seamless experience for mobile users. If you are among those who have failed to get your website mobile-friendly, then it might well prove to be a rather expensive oversight resulting in a loss of revenue due to the fact you'll be missing out on mobile searches to your site.

Resolving the Problem

Fixing the problem may not prove to be a massive endeavour and could be as easy as getting a developer to change a few simple things, namely to remove blocks on certain files and to update the robots.txt file, both of which are things a developer would understand and fix in a jiffy. At the other end of the scale, the task might be rather more in-depth and could mean a complete site redesign so that it's more responsive incorporating the all-important mobile website “best practices”.

Worst-case Scenario

In a worst-case scenario if you have not updated your site to be mobile-friendly, you may find that all your sales-driven organic traffic that comes from mobile devices simply vanishes altogether when Google's update comes into force With this said, it's thought the worst that could happen is for results to show a decrease of about 50 to 80% which is still something that should get you worried enough to make sure your site is mobile-friendly right now rather than risk waiting any longer to do so.

Author Honey Wood

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