As a copywriter and copywriter’s coach, it’s my responsibility to offer powerful, on-target advice to my “mentees.” For them as well as myself…and for you…I keep a keen watch on the world of freelance copywriting to pick up on changes and trends.I spent last month musing over numerous clues, statements, conversations, experiences, and purchased research pertaining to the business side of copywriting.

My conclusion? The world of copywriter marketing is changing rapidly …thanks to the Web.

I built my site in 1998. Back then there were few copywriters on the Internet. For a long time, when you keyed “copywriter” into Yahoo, my site would come in at the top along with Bob Bly’s and Ivan Levison’s. I’m sure there were others, but these are the sites I remember.

With so few copywriters on the Web, I enjoyed a virtual cornucopia of new clients for about four years, until copywriter newcomers started pushing my site down and down and down…until even I didn’t look for my site any more.

Like everyone else, I had to start driving business to my site, and as time wore on, it proved a marketing model that worked very well.

But I believe a radical shift is now taking place…

…one that implores you to forget thinking about your WEB SITE as the centerpoint of your marketing and make your FREE EZINE the centerpoint instead!

Why is this?

Because the ezine is emerging as one of marketing’s most powerful…and inexpensive…and superfast… marketing tools ever.

Note that free ezines have been around for a long time. Note also that there are hundreds of thousands of them! And note that YOU are subscribed to at least one

In the early days of the Internet virtually everyone looked upon this new medium…the Web…as one would look upon an extra-terrestrial. It LOOKS powerful, but where does that power come from?

Companies started pasting their employees’ bios on the Web until pirating ran rampant. Then they moved toward wimpy “online brochures.” Now enough testing has taken place and enough time has passed to offer clear direction on what works, what doesn’t, and what wins.

And guess what wins?

You guessed it…the ezine!

Knowing this, I’ve gone from suggesting that my coaching students create a highly-targeted, content-rich ezine (or blog), to requiring it.

My own experience with an ezine (thanks to my Freelancer’s Business Bulletin subscribers), proves the power of keeping in touch with a group of like-minded people. Because I work hard to bring useful content to my readers, my list grows steadily and my unsubscribe rate is low.

That said, here’s what you must know about marketing your freelance business in 2006 and beyond:

Today’s business-building writer should select one primary marketing method and strengthen it with other marketing methods that suit their temperament, location, goals, and target market.

I used to believe that one should pick two or three favorite marketing methods and do them exceedingly well.

Now I believe that new copywriters who are entering the business at ground zero, with no name recognition in their marketplace, should
use as many marketing tools as they can.

I still recommend direct mail as an essential marketing method because it’s the only way to handpick your target audience…to know that the people you’re reaching are of sufficient quality to deserve your time.

Your direct mailings and everything else you do…
participation in discussion boards, article publication, face-to-face networking, cold calls, public speaking, and so on…should drive sign-ups to your ezine.

And it’s from your EZINE that you do your most effective…and least expensive…selling. Over time, as your ezine readership grows, you can abandon your time-consuming direct mailings altogether.

More evidence that the ezine is becoming the world’s most powerful marketing tool…

While on vacation in Oregon I brought along some overdue reading. One piece was Part 2 of Clayton Makepeace’s interview with the legendary Gary Bencivenga. They’re discussing mailing formats, particularly that of the magalog.

Clayton says, “Everyone’s looking for the next big format breakthrough…”

And Gary replies, “I really think it’s here already. I think it’s an e-zine. I’m finding that with the clients I’m a partner with, I almost don’t want to do direct mail anymore.

“It’s too tough to send a 24-page magalog to a prospect who doesn’t know you. I don’t think that direct mail will ever be dead, but rising paper costs, rising printing, and rising skepticism argue against people responding to cold mailings that are trying to sell them something right on the spot.

“I think these factors argue instead for an elongated courtship of an e-zine that is of great value, where the selling process starts more subtly, a lot more softly. Perhaps in the future, the most profitable use of much direct mail will be to drive people into an e-zine relationship.”

Gary Bencivenga’s take on the ezine only strengthens my long-held position that a free ezine should be an essential part of any copywriter’s marketing toolkit.

Gary supports the age-old premise and marketing tactic that in lead-gen, you must lead your prospect down the path with high quality information that is valuable.

Here’s another prediction:

The Internet will create more competition for the freelance copywriter.

This sounds scary but it’s not. Direct marketers such as AWAI are reaching a vast market of people who want to transition from what they’re doing now to a career with greater flexibility, freedom, and financial promise.

On the surface, it may look like lots of new copywriters are flooding the market…and they are!

But most target the obvious markets…the ones we can readily see…such as alternative health and publishing.

And yes, you will see increased competition in the obvious markets as AWAI and other programs create more and more entry-level copywriters.

But this is a perfect example of tunnel vision. You see what’s before you…not what actually exists.

And that’s one of the things I do for my coachingstudents…I show them how to find lucrative hidden “pockets” in traditional copywriting niches.

But it doesn’t stop there.

I also show my copywriters how to discover exciting markets that other copywriters are unaware of…and under certain conditions, I can even show them how to CREATE their own niche markets!

So while it may seem that the market is flooding with new copywriters, the truth is that the new copywriters will flood only the obvious markets. The world of business is full of markets…hidden and not.

The Internet Has Made Marketing Faster, Easier, and Cheaper for Service Providers Such as Copywriters.

I have long marveled over the low cost of maintaining a Web site. Creating a presence in other Web venues (such as discussion groups and blog postings) is virtually free. You can write articles for free and distribute them online for free or at low cost. My own positive experience is proof that the effort to “show up” all over the Web is worth it.

And in a recent conversation with a successful nonprofit copywriter, I learned that email marketing can work well IF you have a reliable source for names and their email addresses.

To avoid spamming, you’ll need to find lists where prospects in a target market have “put their names and emails out there,” and would not be surprised by a cold contact coming in this way. If you’re in a niche market that has associations, this is the most likely place to find such a list.

Local Clients Can be a Good Source of Income for the Beginning Copywriter.

I used to advise against targeting local clients because they usually want you to come to the office for meetings and to “pick up the check.” It’s a bad use of your time, that’s true, but if you have a connection with someone local who you think would hire you, it’s money in the door, experience, and a sample for your portfolio.

And no, they don’t have to be in your niche market. You do want a “connection,” however weak. I once did fun work for Oregon specialty cataloger Norm Thompson. While they usually don’t hire freelance, they used me because I lived in Lake Oswego, which was a stone’s throw to their Wilsonville location.

If You Have the Stomach, Talent, and Opportunity for Public Speaking, Do It!

It’s one of the most effective marketing tools you can use. And because relatively few copywriters like public speaking (including me), there’s plenty of opportunity to get before groups that are eager to hear what you have to say.

Board members are always looking for their next speaker. Believe me, you will be welcomed! Just be sure to avoid groups that have little to offer, such as groups of other solopreneurs.

In My Opinion, Networking is Equal in Power to Doing Steady Direct Mail Mailings to Your Target Market.

And that means both online and off. This is where you definitely do want to stick to your target market, especially in any offline efforts. It’s simply too time-consuming to hob-nob with groups that you don’t have a strong connection with.

It bears repeating…

Make sure ALL your marketing activities send people to your free ezine.

This is the model everyone is using…first it was the small guys, then the mid-size companies caught on, then

I saw Agora’s Internet marketing model…now even the big guys are putting the ezine at the center of their marketing!

Just be aware that it takes “multiple touches” before you can expect to see your relationships turn into business. Some say to plan a minimum of nine touches, and for some copywriting markets, you may find that it takes up to two years of continued contact to gain the trust of your prospect.

THIS is why I now advocate using as many marketing tools as you reasonably can when first starting out…touch as many people as possible, always driving to your list…then touch your own list with frequent mailings (at least once a month), while staying in front of your audience in as many ways as possible.

When I say “use as many marketing tools as you reasonably can,” I don’t mean use everything at your disposal. We’re all human and we have time limits.

If you try to use every marketing tool at your disposal you’ll dilute your efforts. Best to pick those that are right for you from your burgeoning “package” of possibilities.

This is one place a good coach can help you accelerate your success…by showing you how to create a customized marketing plan. Copywriters are akin to marketers…and smart marketers craft marketing plans that maximum their exposure both online and off.

The popularity of the Internet has really taken its toll. Nowadays, existing businesses all over the world are also rushing to make their online presence ramped up.

Surely, people are beginning to prefer making online purchases than buying stuff the traditional way. That is because people find Internet transactions much more convenient and practical.

Annually, the number of Internet transactions are rising rapidly that businesses are rushing to establish strategies that would help them underpin the trend. Traditional marketing schemes of the conventional corporate world are also evolving and now are directly employing the skills and versatility of copywriting.

Why copywriting?

Conventionally, marketing and copywriting are two different concepts that are not related to each other. The concepts have independent worlds that have dynamics not overlapping each other.

But the Internet is special. The Internet is one media where people get in to entertain themselves, get knowledge or just kill time. Thus, the Internet is one world dominated by copywriters.

As corporate firms swoon into the Internet, they must form that alliance with copywriters. Thus, marketing is introduced to copywriters. These copywriters must then produce marketing outputs that are aimed at boosting the sales figures of online businesses.

The traditional marketers are threatened to lose their jobs over copywriters. So, some of them learn copywriting themselves.

As copywriters invade online marketing, traditional marketers compromise to get into the picture and incorporate their skills into copywriting.

Marketing and copywriting

In the past, marketing and copywriting people are strangers to each other. Now it is recognized that they are actually estranged bed mates, who must strive to complement each other to achieve a common goal.

That common goal would be to persuade people into buying the products sold through a particular online site.

To be effective in marketing online products, one has to be good in copywriting. And to write good and effective copies for the purpose, one has to be a good marketer, at the same time.

How to create a good marketing copy

Now the challenge for the copywriter would be how to come up with a convincing marketing copy. Statistics reveal that only about 2% of overall online businesses actually generate sales.

Much of the online transactions are also limited to the established online auctioneering sites, which have accumulated reliability over the years. Now, the rest, or 98% of the online businesses in operations currently must cope up and overhaul their marketing copies.

To be able to so do, you, as a copywriter should always bear in mind that you are writing to yield results, read: to generate sales.

How could you do that? Seasoned marketers would assert that you, as a sales person, must be as sincere as possible. In other words, you must strive to make the copies sound as if you are really convinced yourself about the product you are selling, even if, in truth, you are not.

Remember, being sincere does not require you to confess your disbelief in the products. You can do so by revealing the limitations of the products, but offering solutions and suggesting ways on how the potential buyers could correct such product limitations.

As a copywriter, you should also make sure that you are using the right words, that are arranged in the right and effective order and that are aimed at the right audience.

Before copywriting, it is recommended that you first take a quick rundown and knowledge about the intended readers for the copies. Know their demographics, their interests and their needs and feed on those data.

Also use the simplest and most effective of words. Be concise, accurate and direct to the point. Remember, in the online media, there is an information overload that must have already been feeding up your readers.

Crafting short, yet, bulls-eye statements would surely create a great and direct impression and would likely make the feet of your readers move according to your instructions.

You do not need to write grammatically perfect copies, though, doing so is still recommended. Wordiness must be eliminated and graphics should be reduced.

Marketing and copywriting are directly linked, don’t you think? Good marketers can truly be good copywriters, as well as effective copywriters can be good marketers.

As a copywriter and copywriter’s coach, it’s my responsibility to offer powerful, on-target advice to my “mentees.” For them as well as myself…and for you…I keep a keen watch on the world of freelance copywriting to pick up on changes and trends.I spent last month musing over numerous clues, statements, conversations, experiences, and purchased research pertaining to the business side of copywriting.

My conclusion? The world of copywriter marketing is changing rapidly …thanks to the Web.

I built my site in 1998. Back then there were few copywriters on the Internet. For a long time, when you keyed “copywriter” into Yahoo, my site would come in at the top along with Bob Bly’s and Ivan Levison’s. I’m sure there were others, but these are the sites I remember.

With so few copywriters on the Web, I enjoyed a virtual cornucopia of new clients for about four years, until copywriter newcomers started pushing my site down and down and down…until even I didn’t look for my site any more.

Like everyone else, I had to start driving business to my site, and as time wore on, it proved a marketing model that worked very well.

But I believe a radical shift is now taking place…

…one that implores you to forget thinking about your WEB SITE as the centerpoint of your marketing and make your FREE EZINE the centerpoint instead!

Why is this?

Because the ezine is emerging as one of marketing’s most powerful…and inexpensive…and superfast… marketing tools ever.

Note that free ezines have been around for a long time. Note also that there are hundreds of thousands of them! And note that YOU are subscribed to at least one

In the early days of the Internet virtually everyone looked upon this new medium…the Web…as one would look upon an extra-terrestrial. It LOOKS powerful, but where does that power come from?

Companies started pasting their employees’ bios on the Web until pirating ran rampant. Then they moved toward wimpy “online brochures.” Now enough testing has taken place and enough time has passed to offer clear direction on what works, what doesn’t, and what wins.

And guess what wins?

You guessed it…the ezine!

Knowing this, I’ve gone from suggesting that my coaching students create a highly-targeted, content-rich ezine (or blog), to requiring it.

My own experience with an ezine (thanks to my Freelancer’s Business Bulletin subscribers), proves the power of keeping in touch with a group of like-minded people. Because I work hard to bring useful content to my readers, my list grows steadily and my unsubscribe rate is low.

That said, here’s what you must know about marketing your freelance business in 2006 and beyond:

Today’s business-building writer should select one primary marketing method and strengthen it with other marketing methods that suit their temperament, location, goals, and target market.

I used to believe that one should pick two or three favorite marketing methods and do them exceedingly well.

Now I believe that new copywriters who are entering the business at ground zero, with no name recognition in their marketplace, should
use as many marketing tools as they can.

I still recommend direct mail as an essential marketing method because it’s the only way to handpick your target audience…to know that the people you’re reaching are of sufficient quality to deserve your time.

Your direct mailings and everything else you do…
participation in discussion boards, article publication, face-to-face networking, cold calls, public speaking, and so on…should drive sign-ups to your ezine.

And it’s from your EZINE that you do your most effective…and least expensive…selling. Over time, as your ezine readership grows, you can abandon your time-consuming direct mailings altogether.

More evidence that the ezine is becoming the world’s most powerful marketing tool…

While on vacation in Oregon I brought along some overdue reading. One piece was Part 2 of Clayton Makepeace’s interview with the legendary Gary Bencivenga. They’re discussing mailing formats, particularly that of the magalog.

Clayton says, “Everyone’s looking for the next big format breakthrough…”

And Gary replies, “I really think it’s here already. I think it’s an e-zine. I’m finding that with the clients I’m a partner with, I almost don’t want to do direct mail anymore.

“It’s too tough to send a 24-page magalog to a prospect who doesn’t know you. I don’t think that direct mail will ever be dead, but rising paper costs, rising printing, and rising skepticism argue against people responding to cold mailings that are trying to sell them something right on the spot.

“I think these factors argue instead for an elongated courtship of an e-zine that is of great value, where the selling process starts more subtly, a lot more softly. Perhaps in the future, the most profitable use of much direct mail will be to drive people into an e-zine relationship.”

Gary Bencivenga’s take on the ezine only strengthens my long-held position that a free ezine should be an essential part of any copywriter’s marketing toolkit.

Gary supports the age-old premise and marketing tactic that in lead-gen, you must lead your prospect down the path with high quality information that is valuable.

Here’s another prediction:

The Internet will create more competition for the freelance copywriter.

This sounds scary but it’s not. Direct marketers such as AWAI are reaching a vast market of people who want to transition from what they’re doing now to a career with greater flexibility, freedom, and financial promise.

On the surface, it may look like lots of new copywriters are flooding the market…and they are!

But most target the obvious markets…the ones we can readily see…such as alternative health and publishing.

And yes, you will see increased competition in the obvious markets as AWAI and other programs create more and more entry-level copywriters.

But this is a perfect example of tunnel vision. You see what’s before you…not what actually exists.

And that’s one of the things I do for my coachingstudents…I show them how to find lucrative hidden “pockets” in traditional copywriting niches.

But it doesn’t stop there.

I also show my copywriters how to discover exciting markets that other copywriters are unaware of…and under certain conditions, I can even show them how to CREATE their own niche markets!

So while it may seem that the market is flooding with new copywriters, the truth is that the new copywriters will flood only the obvious markets. The world of business is full of markets…hidden and not.

The Internet Has Made Marketing Faster, Easier, and Cheaper for Service Providers Such as Copywriters.

I have long marveled over the low cost of maintaining a Web site. Creating a presence in other Web venues (such as discussion groups and blog postings) is virtually free. You can write articles for free and distribute them online for free or at low cost. My own positive experience is proof that the effort to “show up” all over the Web is worth it.

And in a recent conversation with a successful nonprofit copywriter, I learned that email marketing can work well IF you have a reliable source for names and their email addresses.

To avoid spamming, you’ll need to find lists where prospects in a target market have “put their names and emails out there,” and would not be surprised by a cold contact coming in this way. If you’re in a niche market that has associations, this is the most likely place to find such a list.

Local Clients Can be a Good Source of Income for the Beginning Copywriter.

I used to advise against targeting local clients because they usually want you to come to the office for meetings and to “pick up the check.” It’s a bad use of your time, that’s true, but if you have a connection with someone local who you think would hire you, it’s money in the door, experience, and a sample for your portfolio.

And no, they don’t have to be in your niche market. You do want a “connection,” however weak. I once did fun work for Oregon specialty cataloger Norm Thompson. While they usually don’t hire freelance, they used me because I lived in Lake Oswego, which was a stone’s throw to their Wilsonville location.

If You Have the Stomach, Talent, and Opportunity for Public Speaking, Do It!

It’s one of the most effective marketing tools you can use. And because relatively few copywriters like public speaking (including me), there’s plenty of opportunity to get before groups that are eager to hear what you have to say.

Board members are always looking for their next speaker. Believe me, you will be welcomed! Just be sure to avoid groups that have little to offer, such as groups of other solopreneurs.

In My Opinion, Networking is Equal in Power to Doing Steady Direct Mail Mailings to Your Target Market.

And that means both online and off. This is where you definitely do want to stick to your target market, especially in any offline efforts. It’s simply too time-consuming to hob-nob with groups that you don’t have a strong connection with.

It bears repeating…

Make sure ALL your marketing activities send people to your free ezine.

This is the model everyone is using…first it was the small guys, then the mid-size companies caught on, then

I saw Agora’s Internet marketing model…now even the big guys are putting the ezine at the center of their marketing!

Just be aware that it takes “multiple touches” before you can expect to see your relationships turn into business. Some say to plan a minimum of nine touches, and for some copywriting markets, you may find that it takes up to two years of continued contact to gain the trust of your prospect.

THIS is why I now advocate using as many marketing tools as you reasonably can when first starting out…touch as many people as possible, always driving to your list…then touch your own list with frequent mailings (at least once a month), while staying in front of your audience in as many ways as possible.

When I say “use as many marketing tools as you reasonably can,” I don’t mean use everything at your disposal. We’re all human and we have time limits.

If you try to use every marketing tool at your disposal you’ll dilute your efforts. Best to pick those that are right for you from your burgeoning “package” of possibilities.

This is one place a good coach can help you accelerate your success…by showing you how to create a customized marketing plan. Copywriters are akin to marketers…and smart marketers craft marketing plans that maximum their exposure both online and off.

Writing, editing, and getting a book published is a lot of hard work, unfortunately it does not guarantee any tangible sales. In fact, most books published each year fail to sell more than a few dozen copies, creating a very competitive and cut throat book marketing industry. There are many ways people will tell you to market a book, however the most effective is usually attributed to book reviews.

Custom book reviews not only provide an author with substantial buzz for a new book, it also lends the book a sense of credibility that would be otherwise void. There are certainly no shortage of great books on the market today, however only a small percentage of them have the necessary book reviews to urge people to take action.

Next time you are on a book merchants website, have a look at a book that has no reader reviews and ask yourself if you buy this book? Chances are you would pass on buying this book in an effort to find a better, more reviewed book that people can give you some information on before buying it. The bottom line is that book reviewers provide a valuable service to book buyers by taking the mystery out of buying a book.

For whatever reason book merchants typically supply a short and concise review of the book by the publisher. This review offers often too little information for a book buyer to take action. It is therefore up to the book reviewers to provide all the needed info that persuades a book buyer to get their wallet out and click the purchase now button.

Book reviewers are unfortunately a rare breed, as the population of the world turns more and more to TV, DVDs, the internet, and other forms of entertainment. This creates a large demand for high quality book reviews, and thus the price is driven up by major publicity firms that offer such services. Thankfully there are several firms that specialize in affordable book review services, allowing authors to reap all the benefits of custom book review without the big price tag.

Affordable book reviewers can be found, and should be sought out for those interested in gaining major publicity without having to get a second mortgage on their home or put the family dog to work delivering newspapers each morning just to pay your PR firm bill. Further the author that utilizes book review services can see an immediate result in their publicity efforts because book reviews can be completed in a minimal amount of time.

There are many reasons why authors choose to get their books reviewed, but most reasons seem to stem back to the fact that book reviews actually work, and thus it is a safe investment for the author to make.