If you’re running a business or learning copywriting, or even an experienced copywriter, I highly recommend watching Ryan Healy. His posts are very informative, thought provoking, and useful for business owners and those serving business owners. He has a great post today about routine that is interesting about the writer’s routine and how it contributes to success.
Business Growth Strategies

Nick Usborne is one of the greatest people to learn website building and copywriting from that I know of. He’s just started his coaching site, and offers 50% off an hour coaching call with him for anyone who signs up.
Ask Nick Usborne

Michael Stelzner is a great whitepaper writer and teacher. He also realizes the potential of social media and has brought us a social media guide website. Loads of good articles on this site!
Social Media Examiner

One of my heroes in the copywriting world is Clayton Makepeace. He’s got a great…and affordable…offer on his complete copywriting system. But get there quick before the November 3rd deadline!
The Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach

I get the Website Magazine and just love it. The articles are informative, the magazine colorful, and it is fun to read.
Website Magazine

Any time you need to know any thing about any subject, you can find it at AWAI’s Golden Thread. Excellent article today on how to write better and faster by John Forde.
10 “Speed-Copy” Secrets

I haven’t blogged here for awhile…trying to reorganize my thoughts on how to effectively use this blog. I’ve decided not to rely so much on copywriting for others as much as copywriting for myself. I have so many things going on for myself and I’m having fun.

Other than Marketing Consulting. I’ve also been working with a publisher as Sales/Marketing Director and I love the field. That publisher isn’t working so well and I will leave that position, but through the experience I was invited by someone to become a partner in our own publishing business. We spoke, we exchanged our own goals and business ideas and realized we had the same goals and same ideas. And having a partner in something is so much more fun than going it alone. So, we’re doing it. Hopefully, we’ll have all the business paperwork filed soon so we can announce it. I’ve been working with an artist on our logo design and it’s almost done too.

In the realm of a freelancing “day job”, I’m writing resumes now. Love it! And I’m so glad I spent a few years at the copywriting before doing the resumes. Good copywriting makes the resumes so much more powerful. I’m helping a college student, high school student, IT professional, a few Creative Professionals, and a few Entrepreneurs right now with theirs.

So, what does this mean for here? Well, it means I’m going to post more on recommending other sites for learning copywriting, marketing solutions, and for improving your business.

I’m still working for a few other clients, and I need to use the same for my own business, so I must stay up on what’s going on out there. The least I can do is share with others!

Mass Control Frank Kern has something to say about the FTC Guidelines. Every copywriter should be aware of them, and so should all marketers.

http://masscontrolsite.com/blog/?p=59

I was putting off forming our local marketing group until after the holidays…now I’m starting to believe I should squeeze it in now.

*cross posted from my livejournal

Ellen Datlow’s recent post about FTC’s ignorance has kept me busy this morning. I’ve known that the time was coming that even a basic book review would be subject to scrutiny and laws. That time is coming down fast with the new ruling…it applies to book reviews on your blogs – and it even goes out to the social sites.

I have a lot of websites to maintain. I’m now adding disclaimers to all about my reviews. And from now on, each review will have a disclaimer on it.

I’ve also been contacting Lilley Press book reviewers to let them know that they probably would want to add a disclaimer to their reviews.

This ruling is absolutely stupid and assinine…but it will stay…been coming for way too long.

And affiliates…better be safe and add disclaimers that your links are affiliate links. That ruling has been in a long time coming…might be here already if I’ve missed it. I know the pay per click ads are super picky about it now, and constantly getting worse. It’s one reason I don’t use them. Don’t want the headaches associated with them. I have enough going on as it is now.

For more information read Ellen’s post: http://ellen-datlow.livejournal.com/221907.html

She talks about this article: http://www.edrants.com/interview-with-the-ftcs-richard-cleland/

And there’s also this article for information: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10368064-36.html#

Nice to know where our tax dollars are being spent isn’t it?

Staying focused in the current life stress is very difficult. Through trial and error, and a burning need to keep moving forward, I’ve adopted an “unscheduled” schedule.

I’m spending less time on each particular job of my business for the time being. Before I had it sectioned off into two hour segments, which is healthy for progress and for your mind. It’s been shown that multi-tasking is not that healthy for you. And I’ve always been a great multi-tasker. Took me awhile to get over that.

The two hour segments is also healthier for you than to keep changing what jobs you work on every 15 minutes or so. Mmmm…okay, I have another article series to do here.

Anyway…this new schedule is necessary because I’m walking around in a state of numbness about what is a tragedy to me in my life. I thank God that no one died, yet it is a tragedy, none-the-less. This situation threatens my concentration and my focus…and my progress. But I am very, very afraid of what it means to not move forward and to not make my business work to the degree I need it to.

So, I work 15 minutes to 1/2 hour on one topic/job/duty, and then go to another. I find that I can keep myself preoccupied for that long and by doing the things in smaller steps, I am making a lot of progress.

Also, I’ve moved myself offline for much of the time. When I’m on the computer I have a tendency to keep taking breaks to check the emails to see if there was any “news”. I’m so wrapped up in things right now that I can’t stop that action, so changing my location helps me control that urge more.

The good news is that I’m getting a whole lot of stuff accomplished and a whole lot of writing done. It’ll take me forever to get it all typed in…unless I find someone else to do it for me…

Joshua Boswell recently talked about having faith in your potential and yourself in the Monday Morning Jumpstart Program.

I’d also add there’s a bit of obsession to it when you chose to be a writer of any sort. Even a copywriter. If it’s something you love, it’s also something that gets into your blood and you’re not happy unless you’re writing copy.

Recently, I’ve went through some crap in my life and my copywriting business has stalled. I didn’t have new clients lined up when the mess started, and I didn’t try to get more in.

Not that I don’t want do…I WANT to. In fact, I’m dying to dive into a really challenging sales copy assignment.

I’m also a workaholic by nature. Dealing with a day off from hard work here and there is okay. Not being overly busy for days on end with real work drives me insane.

I’m to insanity.

I’ve been working on press releases and other types of sales copy in the midst of mayhem. Just not to the degree of writing that I’m obsessed with doing.

I need to write. I need to write sales copy. So, off to acquire more clients I go.

Sales copy is definitely a passion with me. It’s in my blood. And it’s good to have the faith in it and my ability. It’s good to know where home is.

Stuck? Can’t seem to get to where you want to be, even though you bought the products?

Watch this Tony Robbins video with Frank Kerns and John Reese, and you may see the answer.

http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/320/interview-with-frank-kern-and-john-reese/

I’ve got some distracting and disrupting life issues coming down. I thought it was bad during the last post…it got worse. Nothing available to the public, although many already may know that my husband was in hospital for most of last week and I have to drive him now until he can see the specialist in September. No, we do not know what is going on with him yet.

So, with this and other life struggles, I’ve been fighting to maintain my motivation more than is healthy. But there are things that can be done to help alleviate that stress.

My fiction writing mentor, Holly Lisle, is presenting first peaks to her writing craft series to her graduates. The newest just happens to be on motivation. She made it with an exceptionally stressful past, in some ways with situations similar to mine and in some ways worse than mine. Learning from her how to deal with this has always been very useful.

I’m working on a set of three novels between now and November, and plan on using my post graduate novel for Nanowrimo during November. I’ve taken the weblog for that novel and made it into a place where I post notices on my trials and successes and failures and lessons learned in the area of maintaining my motivation.

The good thing through all this is that my drive and inspiration is still there. I have working ideas for guides in the copywriting, marketing, Christian, and personal growth fields.

I am still taking on more copywriting and transcription jobs though. Usually, my schedule is only partly full with such work, but now we have fast descending bills, so I’m going to fill up my entire schedule.

Do you need my help?

My website: http://www.dianacacyhawkins.com
My motivation posts:
http://murialhtts.wordpress.com
Holly Lisle’s site:
http://www.hollylisle.com

I’ve been busy, busy. Working my own marketing plans, helping out with others, reading periods for the magazines, and working hard to get the four books ready for markets at the end of this year.

Plus all that family stuff and mess that I don’t put in here, including another surprise or two that I don’t have much time to prepare for. Yikes! Life never slows!

While I’m also reading six books for review…have two done and writing their reviews also, I thought I’d pass along some very useful blog posts for writers.

A copywriter needs a quiet phone to write sales copy. Yes, there is a little procedure called “turning the phone ringer off” that works wonders during worktime, but let’s face it, it’s still there in your mind that someone IMPORTANT may need to call you and you never know when that will be. It’s still disruptive. Ryan Healy has a wonderful idea for fixing this problem at his blog here…http://www.ryanhealy.com/how-to-control-your-telephone/comment-page-1/#comment-6459

Bob Bly’s latest post shows just how every copywriter needs to think about how to handle the unwanted phone calls. Not the sales calls. The ones where people ask you for help you’re not there to give, and those who would use up the time you could be actually getting paid for. Also is an accurate take on how the writer’s profession is looked at differently than other professions. You can read it here…http://bly.com/blog/writing/the-2-inviolate-rules-of-asking-strangers-for-help/

We writers love books and we understand the need for bookstores and the need for quality books to be available. Greg van Eekhout has some wonderful ideas in his blog post “bacon power”. Check it out here…http://magicdistrict.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/bacon-power/

Is Direct Mail really dying? There’s a lot of conflicting answers out there. Nick Usborne’s latest post gives a bit of proof that Direct Mail just might be dying. Sad for those of us who love to write direct mail copy. In my opinion, it will definitely decrease, but only to a certain level. The best course of action is to learn how to write direct response copy in both online and offline formats. And Nick’s course that he mentions is one of the best I know of. See his post here…http://nickusborne.typepad.com/blog/2009/07/should-you-work-as-a-direct-mail-copywriter-or-an-online-copywriter.html

Major trade book publisher sales specialist, Eric, gives the anatomy of a book sale in his latest post. An important read for any writer looking to market his book and needs to understand what to expect. You may read it here…http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/08/anatomy-of-book-sale.html

I had entered a contest with AWAI awhile back. Didn’t place in it, but I did get a free book from them. Mike Masterson’s THE ARCHITECTURE OF PERSUASION. I got the physical copy in the mail yesterday and read it last night. I’m going through a really crappy time in life and have been trying to concentrate on growing my business with a fraction of the success I should be having. Partly due to not finding something that rang true enough with me to give me the motivation I needed.

Don’t get me wrong. Joshua Boswell’s Monday Morning Jumpstart has helped tremendously. It’s the one true thing that has. But I need more because this IS my day job and has been for quite awhile. So, I go at a bit faster pace than MMJ does, and really needed something to go with it.

Mike’s book did that for me. Through all the mayhem, all the frustration of life, everything. His book filled in the blanks that I needed.

I had worked through his Six-Figure Copywriting Course, and worked a ways into the Masters Course. His course work is wonderful, teaches you how to adopt the proper thinking process to make your way towards an A-level copywriter. You learn techniques that many copywriters don’t get the chance to learn.

I’ve done a lot of similar writing as part of my salary/hourly paying jobs in the past. But I’m so thankful that I didn’t just step into copywriting on my own. By taking those courses I learned things I would never have learned on my own, and my copywriting would have been missing some very necessary elements.

So, some may think that if they take the courses reading THE ARCHITECTURE OF PERSUASION will just repeat what they learned from Mike already. I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.

Yes, if you’re familiar with Mike’s teachings you’ll recognize his method of romancing your target. But there’s a lot more in this book. There’s glicken! That’s Mike’s term for the really good stuff we find when we do our research right and the surprise benefits, joys, revelations, epiphanies, etc we get from reading something or attending a moving conference. Glicken is something really, really good.

Honesty and Integrity are two things that speak to me. And Mike’s book resonates with these.

My original mission statement that I’ve had for nearly two years now is: To provide every business high-quality, efficient copywriting services with integrity and devotion to boosting sales.

That’s important. If we help businesses survive this time, we help the nation’s economy recover. A good mission. But it never quite rang true to me. Mike’s book helped me see that my target for it was off. Now I have a new one, that’s directly inspired by a quote Mike has in his book.

My new mission statement: To improve the world one sale at a time by promoting products that solve problems and/or help people achieve goals.

That’s exactly how Mike states the copywriter’s challenge in his book, and immediately I thought, “That’s my mission statement!” Word for word. I can’t find a reason to change any part of it, and I shamelessly won’t.

Awhile back, I sold herbal supplements. My mother tried to get me to sell for this company for two years – other family members had already been involved. But it took me those two years and ultimately meeting the scientist and founder for the company before I became a seller. My mission then was to find something that allowed me to help people improve their lives. I’m an introvert who hates cameras, speaking on phones, and in front of audiences – and meeting with individuals about an awesome product line was the best way for me to do this. (I’ve improved since then, running meetings and being able to speak to small groups, but the basis of my motives are the same.)

This mission statement took me back to what made me sell those products so well. I got to see lives improved one supplement at a time, and I want that back again.

Mike’s course work that I’ve taken before took me through writing an effective sales letter. His book on business growth helped me understand my goals and the goals of my clients better.

Still, I had gaps. Even with reading material brought out by other mentors in the field, I didn’t grasp fully the missing pieces well enough that I would feel comfortable writing them.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF PERSUASION presented these missing pieces in such a way that I realized I know what I need to write them already. And his presentations helped me visualize them…something I couldn’t do before, even though I had knowledge of what they were and what was written on them.

I’m talking of the other pieces that go into a sales package: envelope copy, lift note, buck slip, order device, etc.

I KNEW what went into them, but knowing still sounded so blasé, so uninspiring. I didn’t know how to jazz them up and make them speak to the targeted audience without coming off as fake. He tells you how to do just that – and then he shows you what you should consider, not consider, and then shows you examples. Especially teasers. What he said resonated with me and made me understand all the teachings I’ve read about them come into focus for me.

One of my favorite quotes from this book is this:
“…truth and sincerity — are the two most important qualities of great copywriting.”

Throughout THE ARCHITECTURE OF PERSUASION he shows you just how to maintain these two virtues throughout your copy.