Posts Tagged ‘employment’
Can Honest Copywriting Succeed?
I confess–I’m a marketing heretic! I’ve built my career on breaking all the rules–and one of the rules I break is that I don’t hype.
Do I put the best possible “spin” on the truth? Of course! But I refuse to deceive my readers into action.
What are some of the common copywriter tricks that I *leave on the table?*
Here are a few to start:
* If you order in the next 24 hours, you get… (face it. If you come back tomorrow, the offer will almost always still hold)
* Get all these bonuses, valued at $999, for FREE with your $100 order (yeah, right! And who set the value of these gifts? And are they for sale, anywhere, on the open market at these prices?)
*Here’s the information you requested (a GREAT statement–IF it’s true– but I get five or six a day in my e-box, from companies I’ve never heard of)
* Hi there, long-lost friend (and you sent it BCC?)
So why don’t I like the copywriter’s lies? And how do I write copy without resorting to these deceits?
Well, first of all, I believe that if I want my words to sell a product, that product should be strong enough to do so without tricking the buyer. I know that if I trick someone, I may make a sale–but I’ve lost a customer for life! Whereas if I show the merits, back up my claims, and focus on the way this product solves a problem, eases a hurt or fear, or satisfies a need, I will build that lifetime relationship.
Oh, and one more thing. I like to look in the mirror and see someone who is doing good for the world–and I don’t think lies and trickery will accomplish that. I happen to have a gift for writing, and I use that gift to make the world better. That includes being honest with my self and with my readers.
Much of the work I do is in the publishing industry. And here, the competition is fierce. Roughly 175,000 new books are published in the U.S. each year. Most of them will fail. My job is to help my clients’ books stand out in this dense crowd.
Example: I wrote a press release for a book on electronic privacy issues. Here’s my headline and lead. (Another rule I broke–never use the headline as the lead sentence. It’s the only time I’ve ever done it that way, but in this case, I think the repetition made the point stronger. Names have been changed to protect the author’s privacy.)
It’s 10 O’Clock–Do You Know Where Your Credit History Is?
HIBBING, MN: It’s 10 O’clock–Do you know where your credit history is? How about your employment records? Your confidential medical information?
How would you feel if you found out this sensitive and should-be-private material is “vacationing” in computer databanks around the world– accessible to corporate interests who can afford to track down and purchase it, but not necessarily open to your own inspection.
According to electronic privacy journalist and technology consultant Mortimer Gaines, this scenario is all-too-common?
No falsehoods, no hype–but a whole lot more captivating than the usual “New Book on Electronic Privacy Released by Publisher.”
Without tricking people, I want to capture interest…move the reader to action…and still feel good about myself in the morning.
Yes, it can be done! I do it for clients every day, and have done so for more than 20 years.
Shel Horowitz, author of *Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First,* *Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World,* and four other books, offers affordable, effective copywriting and strategic marketing planning to clients on three continents. He is the originator of the Ethical Business Pledge Campaign to change the World at http:// www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html. His sites at http:// www.frugalmarketing.com and http://www.principledprofits.com offer hundreds of useful articles for entrepreneurs and marketers, including the complete back issues of his FREE Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips. Shel will be glad to help you create your next press release, sell sheet, web site, or other marketing material. He can be reached at shel@principledprofits.com, 800-683-WORD.
Get That Job: Mastering Job Interviews
I’ve heard it said?in fact, it might well have been me that said it ? there are few things more excruciating in professional life than the job interview. Job interviews are awful! Throughout my career I have attended many and conducted many more, and the truth is whether you are the candidate or the interviewer, job interviews are challenging and confronting and difficult ? but you can not only survive but learn to be a masterful interviewee by developing an understanding of what it is the interviewer needs to see and learning to conduct yourself with clarity and confidence.
Be prepared. Sounds obvious, right? You’d be surprised how many people don’t get this part right. Make a detailed list of all the information you need about your interview, including the:
- Address
- Time
- Name of the person you are meeting
- Correct pronunciation of the interviewer’s name
- Approximate length of time the interview is expected to take
- Directions to get to the meeting venue
Know the style of interview. When you make the appointment, ask what form the interview will take; is it a one-on-one interview? A panel interview? Or a group assessment activity? Ask if there will be any testing involved also. Knowing the style will help you to be better prepared and will prevent you from being surprised by an interview format different to what you were anticipating.
Know how to get there. If you plan to travel by public transport allow extra time in case of delays. If you are driving, allow extra time in case of delays. If you are walking, allow extra time in case of delays?you get the picture ? no matter how you plan to get there, allow extra time in case of delays, there’s not many worse ways to start an interview than to arrive late and flustered.
Dress appropriately. Different workplaces and different professions have different codes of dress. Understand what is appropriate for the type of position and organisation you are interviewing for and err on the side of more conservative. Don’t wear too much make up, jewellery, perfume or aftershave.
Do your homework. Research the company before the interview ? look at their website, pick up a copy of their annual report and ask others what they know about the organisation. It is inexcusable to front up for a job interview not knowing anything about the company and you’ll never convince anyone that they should employ you if you don’t even have a general understanding of the organisation you’d be working for. Use the information you find to develop some questions to ask at the interview.
Good first impressions. When you meet the person or people who will be interviewing you, look them in the eye, smile and greet them with a firm (not too hard) hand shake. If you aren’t used to shaking hands or don’t know how to shake hands properly? learn.
Smile. Concentrate on projecting a pleasant, relaxed, confident image. Smile and be personable throughout the interview ? you may feel nervous or even scared?but don’t let it show.
Be conscious of your body language. Don’t fidget, don’t fold your arms, don’t wave your arms about, don’t lean back on your chair?it’s just like your mother always told you!
Name drop. Address your interviewer by name frequently during the interview. People love the sound of their own name.
Listen intently. Give the interviewer your full attention when he or she is speaking. This will help you answer their questions appropriately and show that you are interested in the role and have a good grasp of common courtesy and professional behaviour.
Be a STAR. Formulate your responses using the STAR technique when responding to questions. Most interviewers use a competency-based interview technique. Many believe your past behaviour will predict your future behaviour so they ask questions to help them to understand what your past behaviours have been. STAR means:
- S ? Situation
- T ? Task
- A ? Action
- R ? Result
Always try to respond the following way: “The situation or task was ?, the action I took was ? and the result was..”. Don’t answer questions with words such as, “I would do this ? in that situation”. Interviewers want specific examples of situations you have been involved in not hypothetical answers.
Be positive. Use positive, lively language. Act as though you already have the role ? use phrases such as, “When I am in the role”, “When I start the job” and “When I begin working with you”.
Take notes. Let the interviewer know that you will be writing down points as you discuss the role. This will help you to remember details after you leave and it gives you something to do that stops your hands from fidgeting and it can help to settle the nerves a little too. But, make sure you use a good pen, don’t use a cheap pen for your job interviews. If you can’t afford a nice one, borrow one. It is important to give a good impression and these small details can make an impact.
Know the content of your resume well. The interviewer is likely to refer to something you’ve written in your resume ? make sure you know it intimately and can answer questions about all your past roles, responsibilities and achievements. Also, know the timeline of your employment history well; it’ll sound like you’re trying to cover something up if you stumble over your own career chronology. Take additional copies of your resume with you ? one for yourself and another for your interviewer should they need it. White paper, black ink, staples in the left-hand corner is an ideal format for most roles ? leave the plastic folders and fussy presentation out.
Ask questions. Ideally an interview is an exchange ? you are getting to know the people and the organisation you might be working with as much as they are getting to know you. Make the interview interactive by asking your own questions in response to theirs and at the end of the interview ask any questions that have not yet been addressed. Always have questions ready to ask, you won’t convince anyone that you rally want to work for their organisation if you don’t want to know all about it. These are good questions to have on hand:
- When will I be notified I am successful for the job?
- When will I start this new job?
- How many people would I be working with?
- What floor would I be located on?
- What is the dress standard here?
Send a note. Take a few minutes to write a hand written thank you note to your interviewer and send it the same day. This will probably arrive quite unexpectedly and help to seal your interviewer’s good impression of you and help you to stand out from the other candidates.
Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy ? and where they focus their attention ? Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/
How To Take Your Freelance Writing Chances
Your initial freelance writing assignments are the best way to present yourself to your client for repeated work. If you provide for them a good product, at a good price, they are likely to come back time and time again. The goal of any career, particularly as a freelancer, is to have steady business. Instead of continually needing new clients or another job to fill your day, why not utilize repeat business? When you make the most of your freelancing time you are helping yourself to gain more business and maintain that which you already have.
For many people getting that first job is the key to success. It is the hardest part of working because more and more people want quality providers and want to use someone who is proven and worth the risk. You cannot get these jobs if you are new. But look at it another way. When you do get to that point, it is important to make the most out of all assignments so that you get return business from that client. This could be any number of things, but should always focus on maintaining a strong working relationship with the client. Providing them with good work, timely work, and listening and meeting their needs will have them coming back to you time and time again.
There is another, even more important, reason to build your business like this. That is referrals. When you do an outstanding job for people, they return time and time again with more business. But, they also tell people about your talents. This can be an outstanding way to use the jobs you get to create more jobs for yourself.
Now, that is not to say that you can not search for new writing job vacancies in other realms as well. But, you must strive to maintain the employment that you already have. By building strong relationships with your clients, you can help them continuously meet their needs while building your business.
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