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

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

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

Twitter is an amazing micro-blogging tool that is very popular with businesses of all sizes, celebrities and even athletic professionals. With 140 characters as tools for communicating, everyone is finding the value of using Twitter to send updates on their status and upcoming events. Twitter allows people to stay connected to the world—real-time. In the past, most of us used newspapers, television and radio to get our information. Much of that information was either past event updates or future event planning. Today you can stay connected, up to the minute, hour by hour or day by day. Businesses, organizations and individuals can benefit greatly from Tweeting!

Leverage Your Business

Find your target audience and potential prospects on Twitter and participate in industry conversation. People might be talking about a variety of issues including positive and negative experiences. Businesses can benefit by being a part of that conversation. Twitter can be your social happy hour where you can engage with your industry peers and audience in a positive and productive way.

Create Brand Awareness

Businesses can engage followers by keeping their brand in the forefront of their minds. Tweet about what’s new, your next big business plan and promote your business plan by generating buzz.

Get Informed

Twitter can help a business gain competitive intelligence. If your competition is on Twitter, you can count on being able to monitor their tweets to see what’s going on with them. Are they launching a new product, opening a new branch, or laying off folks?  By learning about your competition, your business gains an edge through the use of filtered information. Maybe your company should do an early launch to beat out your competitor, relocate an idea for a new office or consider an acquisition of a company who’s on its way out. Twitter is a key place to monitor what your competitor is doing. You can even pick up new marketing tips on how they’re using Twitter and either model your business Tweets the same way or choose a new technique that’s more beneficial to your specific business model.

Manage Your Online Reputation

The information on Twitter is real-time and the news or comments offered breaks fast. By monitoring what’s being said about your business, you can address issues and communicate a response immediately. Twitter is a social environment where transparency and honest are positive business attributes.

Promote Your Blog

Twitter allows businesses, organizations and individuals the ability to promote their blogs. Automatic feeds can be created that will post your blog comments directly to Twitter.

Use Twitter & Be Mobile

Twitter is simple and is limited to the use of 140 characters which makes it easy for Tweets to be mobile. A business can send and receive updates by using SMS. It’s a great communication tool for anyone on the go, making Twitter a powerful mobile marketing tool.

Use Twitter To Learn

Twitter can help a business learn what their target demographic is, what they are saying and looking for. You can learn what the latest interests are and what your target audience wants.

Let Twitter Feed You Back

Twitter allows businesses instant feedback on new products, websites, blogs and marketing efforts. This allows a business to make necessary changes before a formal launch. In this way, Twitter becomes an invaluable, time saving and cost saving tool.

Use Twitter For Promotions

By  using Twitter, a business can announce off or online events, deals and special offers and other consumer advantage programs.

Boost Your SEO

Great web content needs traffic and if your site has something to offer, you can use Twitter to drive traffic to your website. Tweet with a URL, and your website can become a landing pad that encourages conversation on and about your site.

Let Twitter Be Your Question & Answer Guide

If a business is looking for answers to questions, looking for industry statistics or hoping for general feedback, Tweet ‘n Listen. Posing an engaging question on Twitter can generate a response and point your business in the right direction.

Twitter & Human Resources = New Leads

Need or want some extra help for your business or organization? Tweet your job postings through Twitter and you might get some interesting and viable candidates!

Let Twitter Manage your News

Promote your newest press release and company news by Tweeting about it. This can help communicate what your business is doing faster than a traditional press release. It’s also a great way to engage conversation about your business news.

Twitter has become a popular communication tool. By listening and communicating, businesses can use the power of the internet and its lightening fast speed to share information real-time. Toss those postcards the next time you want to send a quick update or message. Instead, log onto Twitter and love being a part of the digital world!

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

Digg is an excellent website that holds a wealth of information, stories, practice tips, hard to find tutorials and in general, you name it, you’ll probably find it on Digg. For the casual users, there are a ton of categories to choose from and the content on Digg is virtually real-time. For specialized users like website owners and bloggers, Dig has the potential of becoming your new best friend. When stories are submitted to Digg and if they make the front page, it can cause what’s known as the “Digg Effect”. This is when a massive influx of traffic is sent from Digg to your website or blog. Digg can transform an unknown website or blog into a well-established heavily trafficked web location. Carve out your niche marketing efforts and join Digg to expand your market reach.

Digg Is An Information & Gathering Place

• Digg is a user-friendly and user-driven website.
• All the content that’s found on Digg is submitted by Digg users
• Digg users moderated the content that is posted on Digg.
• Because Dig is a community website, it relies on its members to send submission. Many of those submissions are in the form of short articles that are centered around a specific subject. Once a Digg member submits their content, other Digg users read that submitted content.  If the information is interesting and worthy, members will, Digg the stories and content they like the most.  If a submission or story receives enough Diggs, it’s promoted to the front page of Digg where millions of Digg visitors will see it.
• The key to getting Digged, is to have interesting, informative and relevant content.

How To Submit Content To Dig:

1. Register with Digg – it’s free and fast.
2. Start Digging yourself to get a feel for what it’s like to review other people’s content.

Tip: To start Digging, click on your profile link and scroll to check out submitted content. You can also go to the general Digg index and use the Digg search box. The search box appears at the top of every page for ease in searching. There are also advance searches available too. Make sure to use good key search words to target the most specific related topic your interested in.

How To Find Stories & Content For Digg:

1. Find information you want to share with the Digg community.
2.  Navigate to the Submit A Story URL and follow the process.

Tip: If you want your content to be “Dugg” by others then make sure to write an attention grabbing title and informational description. This will encourage community members to click through.

How To Use Bookmarklets:

Another way to add content to Digg is to use a Bookmarklet.

Tip: Drag one of the Bookmarklet links to your browser toolbar. This is a handy way to add content to Digg while browsing the internet. The Bookmarklets work with both Firefox and Explorer.

Digg Is Popular – Check Out These Statistics:

We checked the Digg statistics at the time of this post and found:

The data for the United States showed estimates of:

• 3.5 million unique visitors for the country.
• 11 million unique visitors worldwide.
• 98 million page views in the country.
• 190 million page views worldwide.
• 25 million total visits recorded in the country.
• 45 million worldwide.

Digg is not gender specific and both male and females were found to be taking advantage of Digging:

• 68% were recorded as male
• 325 were found to be females

The educational background of the average Digg user was reported to be:

• 42% had some college level education
• 34% had a bachelor degree
• 9% had less than a high school diploma
• 8% had a graduate degree
• 7% had less than a high school diploma

The age of members showed to be an estimated:

• 31% were between the ages of 25-34
• 30% were 35-44 years old
• 45-54 year olds made up 16%
• 11% wer 18-24 year olds
• The senior generation of 55-64 year olds came in at 6%
• 2% accounted for 65 year old and over
• 5% of users were between the ages of 0-17

General data for the household income of Digg users were shown to be:

• 30% at $25,000-$49,000
• 23% at $50,000-$74 999
• 20% were between $75,000-$99,999
• 15% made $0-$24,999
• 7% were $100,000-149,999
• 4% earned 150,000 or more.

These impressive statistics show just how powerful Digg can be to reaching a specific target market. It’s easy to see why so many individuals, businesses and hobbyist have added Digg to their social media network. By joining an online community as large as this one, it’s easy to see the marketing benefits. Whether you’re sharing content to raise awareness of a product line or just want to introduce thoughtful ideas, Digg can unlock an incredible audience and another way for you to reach a mass market.

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 of us are savvy enough to spot a sleazeball. He may be a guy at the bar telling you a story that is obviously being made up on the spot. Or, he might be a used car salesman whose slimy voice and seedy sports coat make you think twice. She might even be a clerk that you can tell is just trying to make a sale when she tells you, “That outfit looks spectacular on you.” All three are liars of different degrees, and all three want something out of you, whether it’s a free beer or a nice commission.

Internet scam artists have an advantage over these easy-to-spot hucksters. We can’t see them or hear them, so our usual methods of detecting sincerity don’t hold up. We can’t check for eye contact or tone of voice. We can’t observe that the guy who claims he can help you make $100,000 a year is wearing a $40 suit and has a prison tattoo…on his face.

With more and more copywriters working from home, either to pursue a freelance career or due to layoffs in a suffering economy, they are especially ripe targets for Internet scam artists. There are good opportunities available on the web, so you don’t want to stop surfing for gigs altogether. You just need to know what the warning signs are. Any one of the following should send up a red flag, the virtual equivalent of a cheap toupee and a “Wanna buy a watch?” voice.

• No Community. The best websites with real opportunities for freelancers give a voice to their workers. If a site doesn’t provide any way for members to communicate with each other, or at the very least to leave public comments to the site administrators themselves, you should approach with caution. Any site that truly cares about its talent wants to hear what they have to say. They should also have easy-to-find contact information in case you have a problem.

• Must Pay Up Front…With or Without Results. The number of sites that help match clients with freelancers is climbing, but a large number of them make their money by charging the writers for using the service. The charge stands whether you sell any work or not. Stick with a company that only takes a fee if you actually make money. (For those who work at home, the charge is usually considerably less than you would end up paying for gas, meals and appropriate clothing if you worked in an office.)

• Exaggerated Claims. “Live the life of luxury. Make 75k a year.” Ads that promise a specific amount of income, or a guarantee of wildly-exaggerated success of any kind, are pulling your leg. Period. The world’s most prestigious universities don’t promise jobs or income amounts to their students. No product, site, seminar or company can or should make grand promises of success. With the right site, hard work can pay off, but no one hands out money on a silver platter.

• Poor Writing. “Learn how you’re copy can make you a milionere.” If you spot rampant errors in an ad or a website’s copy, in a word: run. If you can do a better job then they can, you don’t need them. In fact, they should hire you to write their ads. (Send them a quote; see how it turns out!) Be lenient, however, when it comes to your individual clients. Their lack of language skills is why they need you.

Do you have your own stories of freelance scams or web writing horror stories? Share them here. The more we spread the word and share information, the better a marketplace we create for ourselves and fellow copywriters. Information is the best way to rid the net of rats. Let’s fumigate!

by Elizabeth Kelly