Today’s consumer market requires businesses, organizations, and individuals to communicate what they have to offer on a much more social level than ever before. It’s not necessary to rely on print, radio or television in order to reach a specific target market anymore. The Internet now offers an interactive social media platform that creates a personal line of communication between a seller and a buyer.

Working with social media tools has a variety of uses. It’s learning exactly what is social media tool is that unlocks the door to success. Social media networks are an excellent way to reach a target market however they have become extremely cluttered and busy which makes them difficult to navigate. The noise levels on these networks, is so loud that it’s often hard to make a personal connection. One way to level the playing field and make an impression is to provide quality content on your website pages.

Engaging website visitors as soon as they hit your landing page provides you with an incredible ability to connect with an individual instead of shouting over thousands of voices on the social networks. Compare this thought to putting your resume in an envelope and mailing it to a prospective employer versus meeting with that prospective employer face-to-face in an interview. When a resume is mailed it often sits in a pile many other resumes and it’s difficult for your skill sets to stand out in that pile of white papers. However an in-person interview offers the chance to sit in front of that employer and have a personal conversation one on one about the value you can bring to that company. Websites owners have the chance to sit face-to-face with their visitors when they engage them on their webpages. Understanding the importance of creating personal relationships is what drives the desire to create content that is interesting, entertaining, genuine and informational. Knowing what your audience wants, in order to have that conversation to begin with, is essential to business branding.

High-quality content must be original and not re-processed or re-written. Unique and innovative content draws visitors into that ever important one-on-one relationship. There are a few easy steps to follow when learning how to create social content and they are:

• Set up as many social networks as possible.
• Speak to your audience and learn what they need.
• Listen to what their emotional triggers are.
• Learn about their seasonal cycles.
• Focus the information that you present and give them what they want and need.

For example: An automobile dealer who wants to reach their target market, people who are buying vehicles, will analyze their target market. Based upon their findings, the dealership might find that their buyers are interested in learning how to drive in the snow safely, what types of tires provide maximum traction in the snow and may even recommend a high-quality windshield wiper fluid that is proven to not freeze. This business would then create webpages to address their target market’s questions and concerns during the appropriate season.

This example shows that the website owner, business, and content creators understand what their target market wants and when to provide it to them. This is what social content is. By offering original and thoughtful content, this business will connect with their consumers on a relational level. It is subtle yet persuasive and positions the auto-seller to alerting their consumers that they are unique, knowledgeable and informative. This social content also calls attention to the fact that the seller is valuable.

People generally share high-quality content to their friends, family and co-workers. They also share the resource of where they found their valuable information.  This translates into the equation that social content equals social media. It is this type of marketing that rises above the noise levels on massive social network sites.

Website content and the pages within that site, will always be the most direct way to reach an audience on a personal level in order to make the impression necessary to create the relationship desired. By understanding the various types of social media tools, companies, organizations and individuals can learn to reach their audience on a more personal level that can increase their overall visibility.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

In February, 2011 Google inc., put in place an algorithm to improve its search engine results. This new algorithm works to increase organic search engine results. What this means to website owners as a whole, is that web content will now need to be original, diversified, and literate.

Google’s New Algorithm Knocks Down Content Farms

It’s hard to describe exactly what a content farm is but the general consensus seems to be businesses or website owners, who create inappropriate content or overuse search engine optimization techniques. Examples of this are:

• Creating content about current trending topics.
• Overusing keywords on a webpage.
• Duplicating the content of other website pages.
• Using patterns of words in order to satisfy an algorithm.

These search engine optimization methods are just a few of the ways that some websites drive traffic to their landing pages. These techniques are called “black hat SEO”. There is a very fine line between legitimate search engine optimization and the misuse of search engine optimization practices.

Websites that use “black hat SEO” methods are prime offenders of Google’s new algorithm. It’s now very important for companies who want to improve their website rankings to be aware that their content will need to be original, targeted, and user-friendly.

Google’s new algorithm is intended to provide web-users with quality search results. It’s meant to de-clutter senseless information and provide users with trusted resources. Website owners are now finding their search rankings plummeting. In order to climb back up to the top of the search results list these websites will have to provide quality content throughout their website and on each of their webpages.

This new algorithm has been nicknamed “Farmer Update”, and appropriately so because it’s meant to weed out content farms, companies that generate low-quality web- content. Legitimate websites can re-adapt to Google’s “Farmer Update” and enjoy the same web traffic that they used to with a few simple web enhancements. These include:

• Offering web content that is informational and informative.
• Creating text that is original.
• Introducing new ideas in a new way.
• Generating high-quality and uncluttered webpages.
• Adding diversity through the use of social media tools.

All new programs go through a period of tweaks and alignments and Google’s “Farmer Update” will enjoy that same finalization. This transition time allows website owners the opportunity to tweak, re-create, and revise their practices while analyzing their website’s strengths and weaknesses. By re-evaluating current search engine optimization methods, businesses, organizations, and individuals will be able to learn how to utilize SEO so that impacts their website in a positive way.

It will be a joy to see the content farms go because it’ll make Internet surfing a more valuable experience for the end-user. There will be less time spent filtering through duplicate information in order to find what you’re searching for. Remember back in the day, the Internet was called the information superhighway, not the repetitive, cluttered and widely over-filled highway!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Copywriters who want to hone their craft to offer a higher level of service to their customers can turn to learning more about the ins and outs of the back-side or computer side of web content. One way to learn more is to understand that mathematical equations or calculations take place when the internet meets a surfer who randomly inputs information into either a search engine box or posts information on a website for viewing. The random”ness” of the internet, is not random at all. Rather it consists of a finite set of rules that dictate what and how people find and locate information on the World Wide Web. Become a web savvy copywriter and learn about what an algorithm does, how it works and why it’s so important. We’ve done the research for you and have re- scaled this complex process down to just the basics and how it applies to the written or entered word.  

What is an Algorithm?

An algorithm is a method that’s used in mathematics and computer science to express a finite list of instructions and can also perform functions like calculations, data processing and automated reasoning. The history of algorithms dates back to 1928 when David Hilbert worked to solve the Entscheindungsproblem, also called the decision problem. Hilbert’s work is the first known partial formalization of what we call an Algorithm today.

There is no formal definition of what an algorithm is because an algorithm is not specific in itself, meaning that, algorithms can change and be developed to do more than one process. There are several generalized definitions that offer a basic understanding of what an algorithm does and two of them are below.

An Algorithm can be:

A specific set of exact rules that define a specific sequence of operations.

An Algorithm can also be:

A set of instructions on a process that generates output integers from random input integers.

In basic terms, we would consider that a generalized definition of an algorithm is this: If we input information into an algorithm correctly, we will receive an output response that has been calculated based on our input.

How Algorithms Work

Sometimes it’s easier to relate an abstract process to our day to day life. So to take a close look at what an algorithm is and what it does — Think the Internet. We know the World Wide Web uses algorithms to function. After-all the internet could be considered an enormous computer program completely based in algorithmic calculations. When we hop onto the Information Super-Highway, we jump aboard the largest algorithm we probably know. Here’s how the internet uses algorithms and how we use and benefit from an algorithm’s calculations every day.

Let’s say we want to find a local auto dealer.

• We type in the words or characters/letters “auto dealer” in our search engine box.

We have just input our integer or number/letters.

The internet’s algorithm, or process, has taken our input letters and calculated a response for us.

•  The search engine generates a list with all the websites that contain the letters/characters  “autodealer”.

If we live in New York, we won’t be interested in auto dealers in Texas. So we begin to narrow our search, or narrow our input integers/letters in order to receive a better more targeted response.

• We go back into our search engine box and type, “auto dealer New York”.

Now the internet’s algorithm re-calculates our input letters/integers and processes our input.

This new algorithm calculation responds to our new input integers/letters “auto dealer New York”.

• A new list is generated and that results with a search list that contains all the auto dealers that have the letters NewYork associated with their websites.

Moving ahead, we think to ourselves, New York includes Long Island and New York City. We think again, we are located in Buffalo, New York and what we really want are local auto dealers in our own area.

• So we again go back into our search engine box, we re-type the words, “auto dealer New York Buffalo”.

The search engine’s algorithm, takes our new input integers/letters, does another calculation, process and creates a new resonse.

• Another list is generated and the results offer us a search list with all the auto dealers that have the letters NewYorkB uffalo associated with their website.

We now have the info we wanted to begin with.

Relating Web Content To How Algorithms Function

For us we use algorithms every time we log online, most of us don’t realize it, but we are using a highly skilled mathematical function to communicate with our friends on social networking sites. We use algorithms to help us find tonight’s greatest meatloaf recipe and we also rely on an algorithm to generate calculations for us when we type in “dangers of open-heart surgery” in order to learn about a loved one’s upcoming surgical procedure.

The fascinating point is that, what we input dictates what we find. The same goes for the information that’s input into website pages for content. What a business, organization or individual posts on their website in the form of letters, numbers, pictures, videos and more, is what an algorithm will capture to calculate a response. Mathematical algorithmic functions are processes that have helped to make the World Wide Web useful for many people. Businesses, organizations and individuals that can harness the function of a calculation, have the ability to spread their message, sell products and use this technology to their benefit.

By understanding the power of an algorithm’s calculations, Copywriters can fine tune themselves to being mathematical in their own process when creating content that an algorithm will be able to calculate. Content picked up by the internet’s algorithm, is lifted off a website and transported to a search engine’s result list. That search result list is what connects that website’s content, message or product information to a web surfer, new client or prospective buyer.  Ultimately, that connection is what makes web content so important and why an internet algorithm is such a powerful tool.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Advertising Copy That Works Through to the Final Sale

There are two kinds of methods to selling most anything—Hard-selling and Soft-selling. Typically sales people are thrust into a mode of thinking that the Hard-sell technique works and that the Soft-sell method is too flimsy to close a deal. The fact is that Hard-selling does not work because it has no finesse. When a sales person goes straight to the point to sell their product, they are simply telling their prospective buyer that they should buy their product. This type of approach will usually turn a buyer off and negate a sale.

By taking a close look at how the Hard-sell doesn’t work and how well Soft-selling works, a copy writer can take this information and apply it to how they write sales copy, work on ad campaigns and involve their clients in the learning curve of effective copy verses ineffective copy.

Here are a few great points to remember when working on creative materials that involve sales copy:

1. People do not appreciate being sold to.

The Hard-sell approach usually brings the worst out in people. Human nature dictates that when aggressive behavior is displayed, it provokes the receiver to be aggressive in defense of themselves. This is what brings a negative result to both the sales person and the potential buyer.

To apply this to ad copy that works, don’t be tempted to use aggressive sales copy that pushes the hot buttons of your potential buyers. Instead offer sales copy that promotes a positive response.

2. Hard-sales techniques intimidates people.

Buyers that feel intimidated have less interest in making a purchase. Prospective buyers begin to realize that they have negative feelings about the sale, and will transfer that negativity onto the company who is trying to sell to them. If buyers do not like the sales person a company hires, they will not be able to feel good about the company.

Apply this to writing great sales copy by offering tips, advice. Explain how the product/service you’re selling will ease the stresses on their business or how it can improve their life/goals.

3. Hard-selling sounds desperate to others.

This will put off a potential buyer. Buyers begin to wonder why a company/person is desperate and this creates suspicion. This feeling of suspicion turns into mis-trust. Buyers who don’t trust a sales pitch are not likely to buy a product/service.

To write sales copy that will reach out and help buyers trust your product or service, offer key testimonials that assure your buyers that your product/company is a trusted resource, reliable and honest.

4. Hard-selling uses hype and other dishonest tactics.

Prospective buyers can see through hype. They are savvy and know that hype is not fact. Buyers don’t buy from sales tactics that push products/services without factual information.

Copywriters can add statistics and facts to their sales copy. By showing the bibliographical resource behind stats in ad copy, buyers will know that the information they are reading comes from honest trusted facts and not hype. This also builds trust between the buyer and seller.

5. Buyers need to find a reason to make a purchase.

Hard-selling does not allow any time to explain the benefits of the product or service. A sales person that is Hard-selling is using features to sell their product or service and not the benefits of the product/service. Benefits are what tells a customer that they should buy. There is only one question in the mind of any buyer — “What’s in it for me?” Hard-selling doesn’t answer this question for the buyer and as a result sales are usually lost.

Creative marketing copy should always include both features and benefits. Features will explain the product or service and by listing the benefits, buyers will know why they need the product/service.

6. Build a positive rapport with prospective buyers.

By building a relationship with a buyer a company or salesperson builds confidence in a buyer. When buyers have confidence they are likely to make a purchase on the first product or service and will also be encouraged to continue to buy more products and services. Hard-selling doesn’t build this rapport. If there is not a positive relationship initial sales and future sales are lost.

Creative staff can build rapport into their sales copy by helping potential buyers feel confident about the product or service they are promoting. Copy that builds confidence can be, proving how long a company has been in business and/or offering customer testimonials that promote the same products or services being sold. Story-telling or giving the background of how the company was founded or how a product or service was created is a great way to build a relationship with a potential buyer.

7. Soft-selling allows buyers to make their own decision.

When buyers feel empowered by the ability to make their own decision, they are more likely to make a purchase. Hard-selling strategies often dictate or tell a buyer they should make a purchase.

Advertising copy that promotes empowerment, offers ideas, creates a feeling of success for the buyer and promotes the qualities that a buyer is looking for in a product or service. Copywriters who focus on the most positive aspects of their product or service help buyers make the choice to purchase.

8. Soft-selling always outsells Hard-selling.

Persuasion works. Forcing a business or person into something they are unsure of does not. Hard-selling pushes a product or service at a buyer and doesn’t offer them the chance to decline the sale. Soft-selling offers a buyer a product or service by allowing them to choose to make the purchase.

Copywriters that apply a Soft-selling technique to their advertising copy use the power of positive persuasion in their writing. They can craft their ad copy to encourage a buyer to make a purchase instead of telling the horrors of what can happen if they decline the purchase. Encouraging copy can simply be letting a buyer know what they can look forward to after their purchase.

9. Soft-selling methods are more enjoyable to both the seller and buyer.

Soft-selling forces a salesperson to use more strategies. Building up a product can be done in a multitude of ways including talking to potential buyers. Getting to know a buyer builds relationships that equate to building sales.

Writers who want to incorporate Soft-selling methods into their marketing materials can create copy that speaks directly to their potential buyers. Asking questions and solving problems are some of the ways that words on paper speak to buyers.

10. Soft-selling Pre-sells a product or service.

Warming a buyer up for a sale builds a rapport and relationship with a person or business. In general people like to be introduced to something before they make a purchase.

Advertising copy that pre-sells a product or service before selling is in the hands of a copywriter or designer from the start. Pre-selling to a buyer is a basic introduction of the product or service and usually found in an opening statement or opening page of advertising material.

It’s clear to see the difference between the Hard-sell and Soft-sell techniques used in business. There is a general stereotype of what a pushy sales person using Hard-sell tactics looks like. Once this negative image is in the place of a buyers mind, it will prevent them from accepting a sale. Increase your sales and close more deals by using Soft-selling strategies and incorporating those same methodologies into your marketing materials. Remember your company’s first impression is a lasting one!

Good luck to all the copywriters who are working on marketing materials for clients. Choosing to use Soft-sell copy instead of Hard-selling copy that alienates buyers is one way to promote your clients products and services and a great way to earn more business on their next marketing project!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Writing sales copy that puts your product or service into the hands of your buyer and money into your pocket isn’t hard to create—if you use a formula.

By studying the basic formula used for writing good sales copy you can fill your website, collateral materials and presentation copy with elements that are appealing, exciting and convert leads into sales. To get started follow these simple steps:

1. Identify Your Target Audience

Know your niche market and customize your sales copy to exactly what they’re looking for.

2. Perform Market Research

Learn about the needs of your target market by finding out what they need, like or dislike. This information will help your sales copy address your targets specific needs. It will also help to anticipate questions and objections your audience will have.

3. Craft an Attention-Grabbing Headline

Limp, lifeless, irrelevant and ineffective headlines clutter a message. It’s a turn off to read a headline that doesn’t address your target’s needs.

Examples are:

Poor Quality Headline:

Drain-Edge – Your Answer To All Your Plumbing Needs!

High Quality Headline:

Do You Have the Worst Plumbing Nightmare Ever Imagined?

Let Drain-Edge Take the Edge Off Your Mind by Helping You With a Low Cost and Easy Solution to Your Leaky Pipes, Busted Toilet or Cracked Septic Tank. Call Us Today for a Free Estimate, Budget Discount Rates and Fast Service!

By creating a headline that is highly relevant, simple and specific your target buyer will read on.

4. Establish Your Credibility

Detail your credentials and provide your target audience with information that makes you an authority.

Tell a story by explaining your business product or service.

Offer testimonials that are packed with positive results from satisfied customers. Make sure your testimonials are specific and describe exact benefits that your product or service provided. Include contact information for your testimonials so your potential buyer knows they come from real people or businesses you’ve serviced.

Add a guarantee to your product or service. A strong guarantee shows that you stand behind what your selling. Many businesses have reported, the longer your guarantee period is, the fewer returns there are.

5. State Benefits Not Features

One of the most commonly overlooked marketing mistakes is not knowing the difference between features and benefits. Sales copy must clearly state what the benefit of using your product or service is. Features are simply describing your product or service.

For example:

Feature:

Drain-Edge works hard to provide you and your home with carefree plumbing solutions.

Benefit:

Enjoy care-free plumbing solutions that put your mind at ease and let you live worry- free!

The basic rule is that a benefit answers the question “What’s in it for me?” By stating a benefit you are inviting your target audience to imagine using your product or service in order to take care of a problem they’re trying to solve.

 6. Format Easy To Read/Scan Copy

• Use bulleted lists
• Add sub-headings
• Create short, chunky paragraphs
• Emphasize important points with bold lettering, highlights or italics
• Use a plain font face that’s easy to read
• Compile relevant graphics and images to push your message
• Don’t clutter your message with too many graphic design elements
• Keeping your designs simple so  your message/sales copy stands out

7. Ask Your Target to Act

Promoting a call to action and encourage your target to act quickly—turn leads into sales.

Create special incentive programs that give your audience a reason to buy now rather than later. Limited time offers and limited supply can nudge a casual looker into a buyer. Coupons, discounts and special bonus offers  also motivate clients and customers to act quickly.

By making it clear what your audience can do to act, you are helping them choose to close the deal and buy your product or services. Motivational sales copy increases potential buyers to take advantage of a special program offer. This can result in a higher return on the time you invested in working on good sales copy.

It’s not too hard to follow the basics of writing good sales copy. The challenge is making the copy work for your target audience and their specific needs. Also consider the time of year and the current economic climate when choosing special promotional offers. Marketing and advertising is a delicate balance between being targeted, compelling and motivational. Good luck and enjoy creating your all-time best sales copy!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Opinionated articles and persuasive ad copy is the ultimate challenge for creative writers. Learning how to focus on style can help make this an easy task. Here are some great tips on writing opinionated and persuasive pieces.

• Engage your reader with a thoughtful beginning.
• Craft a unique point of view that adds depth that your reader can relate to.
• Include examples, explanations and evidence that helps your reader believe you.
• Give a reason why your reader should care about your subject.
• Offer your readers an action plan on what they can do.
• Reference a news story or event that ties into your copy.
• Present yourself as an authority on your subject by being confident and respectful as you write.
• Craft your pieces to be socially, culturally and community appropriate by using a friendly tone and easy to comprehend vocabulary.
• Avoid using jargon or slang for general audiences.
• Include key terms and jargon if your audience is industry-specific.
• Choose simple short sentence structures.
• Avoid snarky comments.
• If time and space allows include and acknowledge other perspectives.
• Finish your piece off with a call to action or thought to contemplate.
• Always strive to open the door and educate your readers.

By working with this basic set of rules you can match your style to your intended outlet’s submission guidelines. Creating a successful article or crafting fantastic ad copy that can withstand the test of an audience will take time and thought. Utilize your skills and extend your efforts whenever possible. We have a few great ideas on how to get your creative juicing flowing:

• Choose two or three focal points on your subject.
• Write to inspire your readers to think.
• Avoid extraneous details that will dilute your message.
• Inspire your readers to consider your thoughts so they see and feel your subject  on a deeper level.
• Consider who you are writing to, identify your target readers and then write to them in a conversational easy-to-read tone.
• Use words and terms that will resonate with your audience.
• Include answers to questions that your readers might have about your subject.
• Focus your writing on relevant points that will attract your audience.

Once your base copy is complete:

• Work diligently on editing, adding previously forgotten points and primping your copy so its appealing and easy-to-read from start to finish.

It’s common to lose yourself in a creative work with overstated opinions or hyperbolized persuasive thoughts. Following the basic rules of creative writing can help re-focus and re-connect your passion so your thoughts are reader-friendly. If you’re writing during a hurried crunch, limited deadline or if you get hit with a mental block, revisiting these basics can be inspirational to finishing a fabulous piece of work that provokes deep, intelligent and educated thought. Set your goals, follow the rules and good luck with your next opinionated article or persuasive advertising copy job!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Lots of people think that freelancing is a dream job and for many it sure is! For those that work out of a virtual environment, most would agree that a flex schedule can be as demanding or more than working in a structured office setting because your office and home are one in the same. There is not a definite division between what time you start work and what time you call the day closed. Lots of freelance workers admit that they are logged on day and night and work a continuous schedule around the clock that many times pours into their personal time. Finding a way to balance managing your work schedule and keeping yourself and your family happy all while staying productive can be quite a task! Here are a few easy steps that you might consider when trying to balance it all:

Create Set Work Time Zones

General Work Time

General work time can be a collection of basic tasks that include:

• Checking your email inbox
• Logging onto your freelance websites to check for new work opportunities
• Updating your social media networks and checking for updates from others
• Catching up on general phone calls

 Focused Work Time

This list of focused tasks might include:

• Shutting down all forms of outside communication
• Setting status alerts to busy or completely logging off websites
• Closing down pop-up alerts or audio notifications
• Working on projects that need your un-divided attention

 Break Time

Refreshing yourself during the workday with a break can include:

• Taking small short breaks in-between long periods of hard work.
• Finding time to decompress in order to re-focus on your work task.
• Indulging in reading the news, stretching or light physical activity.

 Control Your Notifications

Working independently without controls can lead to a troubled work schedule. By tracking the things that could potentially de-rail your workday, you’ll enjoy a more productive workday every day!

To ensure your daily success be sure to:

• It’s been well-documented that audio and visual alerts can create longer periods of distraction. Sound notifications are the easiest to control and the least disturbing. 
• Configure your notifications to be audio only. Use your standard volume controls to limit distracting alerts throughout the day.  
• Shut off visual notifications. This visual stimulation can cause longer distractions because they force a shift in visual focus on the screen.

Organize Your Time

• Batch process your workload by scheduling your tasks, timing them and sticking to a routine.
• Set specific times to read and respond to your email messages.
• Create a daily routine with a limited time frame to work on your social media networks or sign up for an automatic program that streams your updates across your social networks.
• Work on small tasks when you need a focus break and choose less mentally straining tasks like filing paperwork or other less complex work projects.
• Continue to work even when you need to re-gain your thoughts or re-focus. By staying in the work “groove” you might figure out the answer to the complex problem that you were previously stumped on!
• Formulate a list of rules with dates and length of time about when and how long you will be in need of general and focused work time.
• Ask for the help from family, friends and others to support your work ethic and provide you with the time you need to work independently in order to fulfill your obligations.

 These are just a few ways that you can increase your productivity as a freelancer and independent service worker. Whether you’re a graphic designer, consultant or virtual accountant, these basic work controls can help build rules and a healthy work routine for you. If you have been working outside of a structured office environment and have secrets of success to share please post a comment and share with others.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Most struggling freelancers and freelance writers would agree that they have all tried answering job ads only to find out the competition is stiff and positions are filled fast. Others might admit that they’ve approached clients directly, either in person or by cold calling, and have been shuffled out the door or off the phone. There’s also some writers that will say online message boards are a good source but those too are overloaded with competition and sometimes jobs are out-dated.

Finding the right place to offer freelance services is just as hard as finding the perfect best friend. Various online subscription websites charge a fee to join. These sites have a countless number of jobs up for grabs. However, at times these website’s job boards post work that often pays below minimum wage. Most freelancers wonder how they will earn any money at all, when most of their time is spent searching for work, losing bids on contract jobs and then winning a job only to find out the pay is so low, they can’t even earn enough to offset their subscription fees.

The good news is that there are ways to earn money freelance writing. What’s the secret? The key to success is to join a community of writers that are all offered regular copywriting jobs through a community pipeline.

This is where the joy of community comes in. These groups are a cross-breed between a business/company and a freelance job placement service.  An example of one such online group is Oozil.com.

Here at Oozil.com, freelance writers join a community to earn the chance to work on an equal opportunity basis. These lucky freelancers look forward to not having to send a constant stream of resumes out. They don’t have to cold-call strange business managers and they also do not have to update their profile so it’s a custom match for a single day’s job queries.

How Oozil.com works:

1. Freelance writers join Oozil.com and become members of a pool of freelancers and writers.
2. Prospective freelance work and writing jobs are gained through Oozil.com’s sister companies.
3. Work is then sent out to the Oozil.com network and its members.
4. Current members are alerted that there is work available via an email, a text message or other mobile contact of their choice.
5. The Oozil.com freelance community, and pool of writers, has the chance to take work as soon as they receive their work-available alert.
6. Members make their connection with their project manager and the work is first taken, first assigned. Meaning that, it’s the freelancer/writer that chooses if they want to pick up work for that day.

Because the Oozil.com network is so large, members count on each other in case they need a day off. Freelancers know someone else will pick up any open jobs that are sent out for that day. So all in all, Oozil.com gets the work and the Oozil.com freelance community does the work.

This model has been so successful that Oozil.com continues to grow and so does its membership.  Sometimes the work trickles in and at other times, there is so much to do, everyone is bouncing jobs back and forth for days until it all gets done.

Too good to be true? Sounds like it could be, but the reality is that freelancers spend way too much time applying for jobs and not enough time working and earning money. Employers on the other hand spend a lot of time looking for the right employees and not enough time working themselves . Here at Oozil.com, it’s a group team effort. All of our clients have jobs that need to be done and all of our freelancers and writers need jobs to work on. It’s a win win situation for everyone!

Join the Oozil.com community and become a part of our network today. Learn what it’s like to be in the fast lane of freelancing!

By Sara Hassler

Social Media is a broad communication tool that describes highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques that relies on social interaction.

• It uses primarily web-based technologies that turn into interactive dialogues. Off the web, social media can include various forms of social communication – that encourages or uses social interaction to communicate.
• Web 2.0 used to be the go-to term that described social media as a type of web-based application allowed the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Some businesses use the term Consumer-Generated Media.

Social Media has been classified as a “Sign of our current times” known as the “Attention Age”.

• Social Media is often thought of, as a way for people to blend technology and social interaction in order to co-create something of value.
• This value for some individuals is friendship as found on the website Facebook.
• For many working professionals the value of Social Media has come to mean work-related career opportunity and advancement as found on the website Linked In.
• Businesses all over the world are finding value added reasons to use Social Media platforms to reach out to their consumers.
• Social Media on the World Wide Web allows people to gain information, education, news, and also provides valuable research tools when needed by the means of electronic media.
• Off the internet, Social Media is a way to physically and verbally interact with others through other offline interactions such as events, conferences and educational institutions.
• Social Media has become a mainstay for many people, businesses and organizations to communicate their message because it’s an inexpensive way to publish content or connect with others. There are not any planes to catch, cabs to call or hotels to book when you can chat with an old friend on Facebook or meet a potential employer on Linked In.

Social Media Marketing is often considered the building of what’s known as “Social Authority”.

• Social Authority is when an individual, business or organization works to establish themselves as an expert in their field . By being considered an expert, that person, company or establishment is thought to have the ability to have an influence in that field of expertise.

Recent Statistics reported back in December of 2009 showed that:

• 22% of all time spent on the internet is on social networking sites.
• About 234 million people between the ages of 13 and older in the United States have used a mobile device.
• Twitter was found to have processed over one billion tweets and continues to average nearly 40 million tweets per day.
• More than 25% of the United States internet page views online took place at one of the major social networking sites.
• In Australia, it was reported that they had over 9 million social media users who spent almost 9 hours per month on their social media websites.

Social Media can include popular electronic mediums like:

• Internet forums
• Weblogs
• Social Blogs
• Microblogging
• Wikis
• Podcasts
• Pictures
• Videos
• Rating/Reviewing
• Social Bookmarking

All in all what does Social Media mean for the average person? It has come to be a true benefit for everyone worldwide. Social platforms offer everyone a voice to communicate their thoughts, link with old friends and grow as a person, professionally and personally. More and more people are turning to their social networks to learn about whatever moves them for that day, week or year.

Social Media is up to date, it’s real-time and that’s what makes it exciting. It’s as simple as someone posting a comment on their Facebook page letting their friends know their coffee shop’s pumpkin syrup just arrived for the fall season or that an old friend is dying in the hospital so others know to go for a final visit.

No matter how you look at Social Media it is a fascinating tool that we have all found valuable to our lives in one way or another. Social Media works to improve our daily existence through interactive communication. That communication can be informational or even life-saving. Enjoy your time spent being social and listen, read and see — the voices, thoughts and pictures—of the masses!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Businesses in general grow and evolve, so do marketing campaigns and so do consumers. Good business plans leave the doors to new ideas wide open for future growth and development. By applying the same concepts to your marketing efforts, a company, individual or organization can create a successful plan to combine traditional media with social media efforts. Here are a few tips on how to do this:

Be Ready To Learn or Re-Learn

Like a business, individuals grow and develop over time. Being open to new ideas can lead to new thoughts on how to reach out to your target markets. It’s easy to become resistant over time. Those associated with business plan development, outreach programs and consumer relations should be focused on the ever changing and exciting world of “how can we re-fresh our image and still maintain our current identity”. Using the same marketing mix can fool a consumer into thinking your product or service is outdated. Be bold and re-fresh your plan when appropriate.

Name Your Objective

Be clear on what your marketing goals are. Revisit your business mission statement and if well-written it will lead you to a clear path of what you offer to your consumers. Use this to create your marketing goals. For example, if your mission is to offer the best and freshest baked items to your local community, then your marketing goals should include spreading the message that — your bakery offers the freshest baked goods in town.

Identify Your Target Audience

Who you are targeting will help you create your platform, in all ways. If you are selling freshly baked items then your target audience might include people in the age group that do the grocery shopping. By listing moms, dads, grandparents and retail stores you can add a face to your audience, give them an age bracket, where they are traveling from – in town or out of town and even when they are buying breads, cookies and pies. Dive deep into your demographics and you will come up with an entire picture of what your audience looks like. This will in turn, show you how your marketing campaign should look.

Create A Way To Connect With Consumers

Will you start and stop with a postcard mailing out coupons, or could you be more creative and say, one great way to connect with my bakery buyers is to offer baking classes to my general consumers and bulk savings discounts to my grocery store buyers.  Divide your consumer into categories and devise a way to connect with them professionally and socially.

Plan To Keep Your Audience’s Attention

Once you have made a connection with your consumers, find a way to keep the doors open and how to solidify an ongoing relationship that can keep you in business for the long haul. Maybe you will map out  a savings club card program. Back to that bakery, maybe for every 5 pies purchased, customers earn a free pie! For bigger consumers, your plan could be an extension arm of your initial program, just on a larger scale.

Enlist Your New Customers to Spread Your Message

Recommendations are the ultimate in marketing tools. By creating a way for consumers to talk your product or service “up” you are giving them the power to push something already great to greatness. Think about the last time you bought something that you absolutely loved. Did you want or find ways to bring that loved item or service up during conversation with friends or family?

 If you can offer a reward program for referrals or recommendations, then you have just created the incentive for your customers to go out of their way on your behalf. Maybe that bakery offers an incentive program that says, for every bride that refers another bride for her wedding cake, then that first bride will receive a reward like special discounts or complimentary pies, cakes or breads.

By taking careful steps to customizing your overall marketing plan, businesses, individuals and organizations can work towards combining their traditional media with their social media. For example, maybe that bakery’s coupons are in printed form and appear in the local newspaper (traditional marketing), but customers that log onto that bakery’s facebook page and become friends are offered a 30% discount on their next purchase (social marketing). Those 30% coupons are then emailed (traditional/social marketing) and the cost savings on those digital coupon offsets the first coupons that were in the local paper. This advantageous and smart bakery owner has also just expanded their digital mailing list and can now add new consumers to their next digital marketing campaign.

It’s a savvy business that utilizes all their efforts in such a way that each effort flows into the next and all generate a positive outcome in hopes for higher profits. One way to achieve this is by learning how to lay the perfect foundation.

Creating A Strong Foundation Is Easy!

Like a house sits on a foundation, so can your entire marketing plan and business.  Masonary style foundations provide a solid foundation for thousands of pounds of pressure to rest on over a long period of time. By using your strong core product or service and by applying the patient skills of an expert brick layer, you can build a strong foundation that will hold up your entire marketing campaign. Use truthful advertising and positive consumer feedback to get this foundation started.

When you combine traditional marketing with social network marketing the results are automatically doubled if done right. Social networking by its very nature is grown the same way we grow friendships – one person at a time. For those who are new to social media in general, this can be a painful start to a hopeful quick-start marketing campaign. To speed up the process:

Use traditional marketing efforts to spread your message.

Send your target market to your social media platforms.

One by one, your social media network will grow.

Continue to combine traditional marketing with social networking over the long-term.

Expose your audience to traditional media and drive them to become socially involved in your business or product. Consumers can attend classes, grand openings, weekend events and even log online in order to become a part of your marketing campaign. Offer a few choices to cater to different personalities and those with more or less time. People in general take stock in what they like by creating conversation. If you have a product or service your target audience enjoys and they talk about your offerings in a positive way, then those consumers have just become a valuable marketing tool for you.

Just think, if another person tells you they love a product or service – ask yourself if you would believe them. Then ask yourself, if you see an ad on the side of a bus telling you that a product or service is great would you believe that instead? It’s a well studied fact that most people believe consumer to consumer feedback before they will blindly trust an advertisement they see.

Use human nature to your advantage and count on generating some astounding results!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler