The demand for copywriting will always be strong.

Why?

For many consumers, the only way to be able to discern the differences between competing products is through the marketing. This ensures that freelance copywriters are needed.

Any companies looking to send a consistent message to their consumers will employ copywriters. Some companies not looking ahead to the future may cut their advertising budget when they hit weak sales, but that is not a smart move as explored in my recent blog post 4 Reasons Why Copywriting Services Work.

There is a growing demand for copywriters in one particular area – writing for the Internet. With the Web up past four billion web pages, the demand for search engine optimised website copywriting has continued to increase. To do this, the search engine copywriters must write well to attract two different audiences – the people searching and the search bots.

Great copywriting will:

1. increasing your sales through targeted website traffic
2. creating continuity in your marketing materials on and off line
3. portraying an image of trust, credibility and confidence in the eyes of your customers

So it’s a no-brainer really. Companies that are serious about marketing and survival will see the benefits in utilising the services of copywriters. It’s the only way to turn a surviving business into a thriving business.

When you are writing an article for publication, you are holding yourself up as an expert in your field. It’s a great way to get recognised and to drive traffic to your main website. The more you write and distribute the more interest and traffic you’ll generate.

Today there is a huge amount of competition when it comes to article writing and one of the most important elements of successful article writing is the ability to produce high quality articles fast.

The ultimate key to writing an article fast

Understand your topic. Start writing about something you are familiar with. After that before you begin writing any article make sure you fully research your subject so you have a thorough knowledge of it.

Article writing is a skill so it takes practive. If you can, write every day.

Plan and be organised

Rapid article writing calls for organisation:

• An introduction to the topic
• Paragraphs that deal with the topic
• A conclusion to the topic

This format gives your readers a chance to understand your article better and you will be able to convey your message properly.

Keep it simple

Finally, when it comes to the easiest way to write an article fast, remember the principle of keeping it simple. People like to read articles that are easy to understand – so keep it simple!

Dear Freelance Copywriter,

I send out a monthly newsletter but my list isn’t growing. I’ve listed my website on loads of  free advertising sites and I’m even paying for advertising, but I’m not getting any new sign-ups. What can I do?

Yours sincerely

Billy-No-Mates

Dear Billy-No-Mates,

Number one, you’re not alone. Even though you’re putting a lot of effort into this, it doesn’t mean you will be guaranteed success. You need to think about long-term ways to grow your list.

A great way is by giving away articles.

Website and blog owners are always looking for new content and there are places called Article Directories (basically a library of free articles) where they can go to find articles that they can use for free. You’ve probably heard of Ezine Articles? Well, that is just one. If you search Google under ‘free article sites’ you’ll find loads more.

Simply write and submit articles to these websites.

When submitting you’ll be asked to complete an Author Bio which goes at the end the article (see below for an example). This is where you can sell yourself and talk about your business. Make sure your link takes your reader to a page on your site with a sign up box for your newsletter. Also give them an incentive to fill in their details – give away a free report or eBook.

Once you’ve done that, everyone who clicks through that link will be taken to the page where you can offer them your wonderful newsletter and your list will grow.

Sally Ormond is a professional freelance copywriter with extensive experience in B2B and B2C copywriting markets. She can be contacted at +44(0)1449 779605 or at sally@briarcopywriting.com for any copywriting project you may have.

It seems like just about everyone has a blog these days.

Do you have one yet? Well, if not (or even if you do), continue reading and see for yourself why blogging is so popular.

What is a Blog?

Basically, it is a web page that contains short articles, known as posts, on a variety of subjects. These posts are arranged in reverse chronological order (that is, the latest comes first) and each one is identified by an anchor tag marked by a permanent link that can be referred to by others who wish to link to it.

Blogs are a means of communication – some just point to other websites, others contain long articles, some are personal diaries, and others promote new technology. In other words, bloggers can write about anything they want.

Why Blog?

Why not?

Through blogs, people can express themselves freely. Writing blogs gives you the power to get what you have written printed immediately. No questions asked.

Another reason why many people are blogging is the freedom of design, layout, and its structure. You can write anything about what you want regardless of what it looks like. Your point is to attract readers in the way you think is the best. That is the power of blogging—giving you the freedom of what you want your blog to look like.

More than that though, blogging can be an excellent way of promoting your business and driving traffic to your website. All you have to do is write a few blogs about your business using carefully selected keywords.

Blogging Tools

Before you begin you need to know about blogging tools. These tools enable you to post your blogs either on your own website or to a certain blogging community. Popular blogging tools are Blogger and WordPress software; web-based tools that don’t require you to install software to your personal computer or on your server.

These are just some of the basic things you need to know about blogging. Remember that blogs give you the power to publish anything you want. And don’t forget to place a link directing to your own website. It can help you generate the traffic you needed.

Sally Ormond of Briar Copywriting also has a blog – FreelanceCopywritersBlog full of excellent copywriting tips.

No! I’m not putting down copywriters – why would I? After all I’m one. The plain Jane comment is more of a metaphorical one. This article is all to do with keeping your writing simple – copywriting has no place for literary egos!

The title of this blog probably needs a bit of explanation before I am ‘virtually’ pelted with stones by the world’s copywriting population.

I don’t mean to infer that every freelance copywriter (or in-house copywriter) is aesthetically challenged. But rather that they understand the value of plain talking.

More often than not, as people grow and mature, they like to try to sound clever by using big words; words that make them feel intelligent. That’s all well and good and our school teachers were always pushing us to extend our vocabularies, but when it comes to copywriting you should resist the temptation.

In sales writing you are trying to connect with your reader therefore a great place to start is using basic, simple and clear language.

Here is a list of 10 words that you might be tempted to use and their simplistic counterparts:

Disseminate ——— Spread
Residence ——— House
Procrastinate ——— Delay
Grandiose ——— Showy
Innumerable ——— Lots
Investigate ——— Look at
Prevent ——— Stop
Construct ——— Make
Implement ——— Carry out
Obtain ——— Get

This should be applied to any sales writing, whatever tone or voice you are using. Even the most powerful business people on earth are human and would much rather read something simple than waste their time having to look up the meaning of every second word.

Copywriting services are a vital investment for businesses of all industries. Without professionally written copy, your marketing materials run the risk of falling flat on their faces – they won’t sell and they won’t inspire confidence. Sally Ormond or Briar Copywriting, has worked with companies worldwide to produce effective and powerful copy that works.