September 5, 2008
Have you ever started out with a good idea or creative plan of action, but over time, you begin to realize that it is morphing into a great disaster? Not every personal project or business idea that you come up with will turn into profit or ultimately benefit your company, interests, or goals. Not every ‘next best thing’ will necessarily fit your business profile or niche either.
In order to save time, money, and energy - it becomes important to learn the signs of impending problems that not only drain your assets and resources, but also squander valuable time better spent on completing more favorable tasks.
To pinpoint potential projects that may cause problems for you in the long run, become familiar with some of the warning signs listed below:
1) Unrealistic Expectations
A project is doomed to fail when expectations fall just short of perfect and highly unlikely. Let’s say there is a client who is unhappy with their brand image, recently suffered negative backlash for a new product, and hasn’t increased their profits in two years. Perhaps, the client gets it into their head that a new website will make all of their troubles go away. Unintentionally, they place this burden on the shoulders of a hired web designer.
Expectations are too high. A new website will still market the same failed product, offer the same prices, and involve the same brands linked to the company. It is unrealistic to assume that revamping a website will solve all of their problems. Combining efforts in marketing, product reassessment, pricing, and damage control will most likely bring better results - not a new website.
2) Unrealistic Timelines, Schedules, and Deadlines
Setting strict deadlines and schedules for completing business projects will increase your chances of failing to fulfill tasks or reach your highest potential. Don’t bank on pushing the limits of work, speed, and determination without allowing a bit of leeway for human error or unforeseen circumstances. What if you experience an electrical outage? What if your web designer is out with pneumonia? There are many factors that are simply out of your control.
Examples of setting unrealistic goals include:
- Scheduling group meetings for 5am on Saturday mornings.
- Launching a complete website with Flash from scratch in two days.
- Coding 4,000 pages of HTML in three weeks.
3) Trying to Tackle Too Much At One Time
Projects that try to accomplish too many things all at once, as well as lack sufficient resources or time, are in for a roller coaster ride of disappointment. While you may have a ton of great ideas that you’d like to achieve for your business, you’ll only suffer frustration and regret if you spend your time and energy trying to complete a million-dollar vision with $5,000. Instead, try to pick out an idea most important to the success of your company that fits within your budget.
4) Missing the First Deadlines
When working with a team, missing a lot of early deadlines is a clear sign that something is not working out with the project at hand. Perhaps the deadlines are too strict, not giving people enough time to accomplish their assigned tasks. Maybe members of the team have been assigned roles that do not speak to their strengths. Sometimes, there is a lack of resources or information that prevents a project from moving forward. It is important to address this problem early before wasting precious time, money, and energy.
5) New Technology
In this world of ever-evolving technology, it is quite common for businesses to rely on new software, hardware, and other programs. However, while new, technological advancements make life much easier or showcases the latest concepts, there is also a downside. Keep in mind that quirks, downtime, and bugs are common. Do not place the success of your company, business, or website solely in the hands of newer technology.
For example, spread your article marketing efforts across different article directories, as many systems have been known to crash and burn without giving any notice to users. Avoid storing all of your image files on a system still in the Beta-testing phase and rely on sites with a proven track record. Come prepared with a back-up plan if you’ve fallen in love with new technology because just like many new businesses, the risk of failure is quite high.
August 30, 2008
Writing the perfect cover letter for your resume is just as important as the resume itself!
Regardless of the type of employment you’re seeking, your resume’s cover letter will typically form your potential employer’s first impression of you and your qualifications for the position.
In our last post, Danny mentioned several
tips for writing a winning resume - but if your future employer never makes it past the cover letter, that killer resume is useless.
The Purpose of a Cover Letter
A successful cover letter is much more than a simple introduction to your resume. While a resume is full of facts, figures, and employment history - your cover letter will display a great deal about you, your personality, your communication skills, and even your attitude. Chances are, a resume with a poorly written cover letter will see the trash bin before it has the opportunity to be reviewed.
How to Write the Perfect Cover Letter
While proper grammar, correct spelling, and a professional business letter format are quite important - the content of your cover letter is also crucial to your resume’s success.
Do not:
- Write a quick “Hi, here’s my resume” and call it a cover letter.
A clean, professional font like Times or Arial is best for your resume. Photo by: Francisca
- Simply rehash the points already covered in your resume.
- Use the same generic letter for all employers.
- Fill your letter with complicated vocabulary and long sentences.
- Overly sell yourself - but don’t sell yourself short!
Do:
- Introduce yourself and explain why you’re writing in a professional , but personal tone.
- Take the time to review the position requirements and company information so you can briefly explain why your expertise will benefit the employer.
- Use bulleted lists and short paragraphs to make your letter easy to read.
- Describe how your skills and qualifications make you the perfect candidate for the position.
- Request an interview or meeting to discuss the position further and include appropriate contact information should the employer have questions.
While a well-written cover letter and great resume are often enough to score an interview, you may not always hear an immediate response. Sending a thank you note to your prospective employer, thanking them for taking the time to review your application, will keep your qualifications fresh in their mind and is not at all inappropriate.
Whether you’re needing search engine optimized web content or searching for tips about writing the perfect cover letter, be sure to subscribe to the Priceless Writers Blog in your favorite reader so you don’t miss a post!
August 22, 2008
For any job-seeker, knowing how to write a killer resume is still one of the most important factors in getting yourself seen by your potential new employer. There’s been a lot said about resumes not having any worth these days, particularly in the online business world.
This is simply not true – employers still hold resumes in great sway. While a killer resume may not get you the job, it will offer you a far better chance of being seen by the people that matter.
Therefore, learning the secrets of writing a killer resume will put you way ahead of the competition.
Length
Nobody wants to have to wade through page after page of a resume, no matter how killer the content. Keep your resume to between one or two pages – any more is overkill.
Use Bullet Points
Human Resources (HR) and hiring managers usually have a lot on their plate – therefore, making your resume easier to digest will go a long way to having it read in the first place. Use bullet points combined with shorter sentences for a more effective approach.
Words of Action
One way to truly write a killer resume is to use what’s known as “action words” – words that make your resume stand out and are almost like hypnotic text to someone reading it. Examples of action words include “developed”, “managed” and championed”.
Strength is Everything
Let’s face it, your resume is the tool that will either get you seen by the hiring manager or result in your application getting filed under “B for Bin”. So sell yourself – make sure you have your strongest points about you at the beginning of your resume. Write them in bold and bullet point them – this is crucial for you to grab the reader’s attention, so make the strongest start possible.
Use Symbols
Some of the best writers of killer resumes make their resumes stand out by using symbols like %, # and $ - if it’s good (and successful) enough for these experts, then it should be good enough for you too.
Complement the Company
One thing that HR and hiring managers always complain about when it comes to resumes is that no real effort has been made to show why the applicant is right for their company. This results in the resume being binned. To make sure you don’t fall into this category, match your skills to the company’s needs and bullet point them to stand out. Trust me, this will place you near the top every time.
It’s all in the Personal Details
The secret to writing a killer resume is remembering it’s meant to be a short introduction to you. HR people don’t want to read your life story – so when you write a resume, make sure you only put personal details that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Things like education, interests, technical skills, etc, can go in a separate section at the end.
Formatting
To keep your resume looking as professional as possible, always use a standardized font like 12-point Times New Roman or Courier. If 12-point is too large, make sure you don’t have your text any smaller than 10-point. Using a standardized font will also ensure that your resume will still read well on different operating systems.
Edit, Edit, Edit!
So you’ve written a killer resume – but none of that will matter if it reads like an 8-year old edited it. When you’ve completed your resume, make sure you take the time to proofread and edit it. Twice. Then ask a friend to do the same.
If this sounds like too much, think of it this way – if a hiring manager was to read an unedited release and saw multiple grammatical mistakes, he or she would immediately discount your application. After all, if you can’t even be bothered to make a proper effort on something as important as your resume, will your work ethic be any different?
There you have it – some of the most effective and proven tips to help you write that killer resume. By putting into action all the points here, you’ll have a far better chance of being seen by the people that count. Just remember that writing a killer resume is half the battle – the rest is up to you. Good luck!
August 22, 2008
We’re pleased to announce that Priceless Writers has been nominated for two categories in the StartUpNation Home-Based 100 Competition – Most Innovative and the Greenest. Aside from pleasing a great number of “green”-minded clients, we are constantly thinking of new ways to get the word out on:
If you like what you see, please take a moment to check out our profile at Start Up Nation and cast your vote! Simply click on the box below - no registration needed.
August 19, 2008
As a business owner or website owner, you’ve either had to write content, articles and blog posts or you’ve had to hire a freelance writer to do it for you. The written word is the oil that runs your online business or website and it’s essential to have excellent, readable and helpful content, articles and blog posts.
If you write them yourself, you must research and spend a good amount of time getting it right. If you hire someone to do it for you, you are paying money to have the best quality written work. Considering all of this – wouldn’t it be better to make those articles, web content pieces and blog posts count more than once? Here are a few tips to help you do just that!
Create a Series:
One way you can make your written works go the extra mile for you is to create a series. For instance, if you have a web design business you might create a blog series that has to do with the way customers perceive different characteristics of a website. What colors do people trust for commercial sites? Where do people automatically look when they pull up a web page?
These things are really great for your clients to know and having a series of blog posts will allow you to do several things. Readers will be interested to get the next post in the series, so you will likely get more subscribers to your blog. You can also refer to your previous and future posts to keep new readers interested. Of course, these posts would also drive traffic to your website and build your credibility as the expert in your niche. This is a great way to get more out of your blog posts.
Compile and Re-Create:
Another great idea is to gather all of your informative articles which have been written and compile them into an informative eBook. If you have had a lot of different articles, you could even do a series of eBooks. Of course, you may have to have them rewritten a bit so that they are fresh and unique, but why let those great articles or blog posts go to waste? You can then offer your eBooks up for sale – which is another income stream for your business!
Ex: A website designer probably has a lot of articles on the importance of design, tips and tricks for design and text placement and more. He or she could compile all of their tips articles and create a web design tips eBook for ‘do-it-yourself’ individuals. It would also work to find articles on specific topics, like how customers relate to visual characteristics on the page and create an eBook or course on how to make your website attractive to visitors.
Always Refer to Other Posts and Articles:
Of course, as you’re adding new website content, articles and blog posts to your marketing arsenal – a great little tip is to refer back to your older ones. This allows new readers to quickly learn more about your business and the things you offer. It pulls the visitors in and gives them helpful information, and this builds credibility. Doing this whenever applicable will help increase your traffic, subscribers, sales and profits!
By making your articles, blog posts and website content pieces count more than once, you can save time and money. This is a big plus with any sort of business and will make a difference in your sales and profit numbers!
August 17, 2008
Calling all female entrepreneurs!
Some of the most influential women in business will gather in the coming months to inspire, educate, and share some of the tools, tactics, and strategies that has brought success into their lives.
The Fourth Annual PINK Conference Series will visit seven cities across the United States, allowing attendees to share a motivating two-hour lunch with some of the most powerful players in the business world.
Attendees are encouraged to bring along friends, family, mentors, clients, and employees to share in the experience, which focuses on:
- Discovering ways to balance personal and business relationships
- Building career strategies that bring success
- Learning valuable business lessons
The 2008 PINK Conference delivers an unforgettable luncheon from 11:30am – 1:30pm, offering an event panel that consists of five panelists plus a moderator. The conference schedule includes:
Chicago (InterContinental Chicago) – September 24th
Speakers: Candace Bushnell (author, Sex and the City and Lipstick Jungle); Mary Dillon (executive vice president and global chief marketing officer, McDonald’s); and Christie Hefner (chairman and CEO, Playboy Enterprises)
New York (Marriott Marquis) – October 1st
Speakers:Lisa Ellis (executive vice president, Sony Music Label Group); Donna Sturgess (vice president of innovation, GlaxoSmithKline); and Sara Mathew (chief financial officer, Dun and Bradstreet)
Dallas (Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas) – October 3rd
Speakers: Hala Moddelmog (president and CEO, Susan G. Komen for the Cure); Nikki Sells (vice president of franchise development, Tasti-D-Lite); and Karen Quintos (vice president of marketing, Dell)
Washington, DC (Omni Shoreham Hotel) – October 10th
Speakers: Kim Martin (executive vice president and general manager, WE tv) and Susan P. Mucciarone (managing executive, calibre, Wachovia). For more speakers to come, keep checking the PINK Magazine website for more details.
Boston (Four Seasons) – October 14th
Speakers: Irene Chang Britt (vice president and general manager, sauces and beverages, Campbell Soup Company U.S.A.) and Julie Gilbert (senior vice president, Best Buy)
Los Angeles (Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza) – October 30th
Speakers: Karin Gilford (senior vice president of online entertainment, Comcast Interactive Media); Carla Christofferson (co-owner, WNBA Los Angeles Sparks); and Launi Skinner (president and COO, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? )
Atlanta (Omni Hotel at CNN Center) – November 12th
Speakers: Kelly Regal (executive vice president, Turner Broadcasting System); Laurie Tucker (senior vice president, corporate marketing, FedEx); and Gloria Mayfield Banks (executive national sales director, Mary Kay)
Tickets are $125. Tables of 10 are also available for purchase.
Click Here to Register
August 10, 2008
As a freelance writer, you will most likely submit your work to many different calls for content and exciting opportunities to snag a by-line. With a never-ending pool of talented writers pursuing the same objective as you, rejection is a common part of freelance writing. Even the best of writers have suffered rejection. However, it’s what you do after the dust settles that truly matters.
Why Did I Get Rejected?
Inappropriate Writing Style
Not everyone is going to fall in love with your writing style. While some clients enjoy punchy statements and original thought, others encourage writers to present a conservative tone that oozes professionalism or speaks to academic circles. Certain clients view highly descriptive pieces and imagery as ‘fluff’ or ‘flowery text,’ while others demand detailed pieces that allow readers to indulge in all five of their senses. Sometimes, you’ve simply been rejected because your writing style was not the perfect fit. Don’t take it personal.
Misunderstood the Market or Target Audience
Clients are looking for writers that can speak to their target market, audience or a specific gender; sell products and services; improve brand recognition; and express the thoughts and ideas that they are unable to convey. For example…
- When a job calls for web content geared towards teenagers and the video game market – your writing tone and knowledge of the subject is vital.
- It is not uncommon for a retired chemical engineer to encounter a bit of trouble connecting with 4-year-olds looking for a bedtime story.
- And… if you don’t have any experience writing persuasive, sales copy – getting rejected for a sales letter gig on your first try shouldn’t come as a surprise.
One of the most important aspects of writing is to understand your market. Who is the reader and what kind of information are they looking for? What will keep the reader interested? Let’s say you’re interested in writing for a magazine. The first thing you should do is scan an assortment of publications to get a feel for their audience, tone of voice, content, and style of writing. Make sure to become familiar with the ins and outs of a magazine, including the kind of ads they publish. This will help you better meet the needs of a potential client when sending sample submissions.
Didn’t Follow Directions or Writer Guidelines
Go over the original directions or writer guidelines with a fine-tooth comb – did you deliver what was asked of you? Perhaps you injected opinion when you needed to remain objective in your writing. Maybe you were instructed to send an original sample of your work, but submitted a previously published E-Zine article.
Sometimes, adhering to a specified word count is a deal breaker. When a 500-word sample article is asked of you, sending a 2,000-word piece (no matter how brilliant it is) probably wasn’t the best idea. Keep in mind that many clients are looking for writers who know how to write under various restrictions…and follow directions.
Time of Submission
There are tons of freelance writing opportunities decorating the Web, including Craigslist ads, blogrolls, newsletter services, Elance, Guru, and Scriptlance. The competition is fierce, as you are sometimes vying for projects that have caught the eye of thousands upon thousands of other writers. The key is to strike fast in order to increase your chances of being ‘heard.’ Although you may have written the ‘next best thing,’ chances are – if you’re #788 out of 900 responses – your piece may never come in contact with the client. For example, some clients choose to sift through only the first 100 replies they receive for an ad. Many writers are rejected simply because they never had a chance to shine.
…and the dreaded Didn’t Write Well Enough
Sometimes, the answer to your rejection is staring you right in the face as you glance over your work – incomplete sentences, spelling errors, improper tenses, and overall poor grammar. Have someone look over your writing piece, making sure they are familiar with the project details. Did you fulfill what was asked of you? How many grammar mistakes were found? Did you carelessly misspell a common word? Poor grammar and spelling blunders quickly overshadows any good writing and thoughts.
Overall, writing is a never-ending journey of learning and growth – a process that matures as you mature. In the end, you will find that practicing your craft is one of the best ways to sharpen your skills and improve client and reader responses.
August 3, 2008
We shake hands with people we’ll never see again and exchange business cards that collect dust, but for every person you meet and greet – you come one step closer to increasing your clientele and customers. Networking is a powerful advertising tool and a lot of business owners unfortunately overlook this key ingredient to success.
Whether you must conquer shyness, dust off the suit jacket, or become more active in the community – the possibilities are never-ending when you make a dazzling first impression that benefits your business. Getting involved and mingling about town is one of the best ways to get your name and company out in the open.
When you’re looking for ways to accomplish this magical marketing task, consider the following:
1) Join the Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce is a collection of business people who join together to further the interests of members on a local, state, or national level. Start gaining the support of your community and watch interest in your products and service rise. Don’t forget to attend meetings, luncheons, and contribute to fundraisers. The key is to stay active and hopefully form beneficial alliances within your niche. You never know who will become a vital asset for the future of your business.
2) Attend School Board Meetings
The educational system is comprised of educators, administrators, parents, and children – a goldmine for many businesses and a rather effective venue for getting the word out on a business. Good (and bad) news spreads like wildfire throughout this particular arena, so it is important to make a strong first impression and put forth a solid effort to contribute during meetings. Always keep a business card on hand.
3) Become a Member of the Arts Council
The symphony productions, plays, art shows, and museums that decorate your city are usually guided by one or more arts councils that often include an assortment of wealthy and influential individuals or companies. Become a member of this particular organization and you can tap into a whole new world of networking.
4) Participate in Charitable Events
Embrace the positive energy that comes with giving back to the community and the gesture is returned in more ways than one. Not only will you gain respect as a business owner, but it feels good! In the long run, you will become a familiar face about town that
consumers are more willing to trust when it comes to spending their hard-earned cash.
5) Update the Community
Share important company events and information by posting ads or announcements in the local newspaper; updating your main website; and/or creating a mailing list consisting of past customers for shipping out friendly postal reminders and ads.
6) Newsletters
Create a newsletter that updates your community on the latest happenings pertaining to your business. Perhaps you have launched a new product or would like to offer free trial services in exchange for feedback. Maybe you’d like to provide valuable information regarding your business niche. Whatever the case – newsletters are a great way to build a bond with the community and persuade potential customers or clients to trust in your company’s services and goods.
For additional marketing articles, insight, and tips – don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly Priceless Newsletter. It will only take a few seconds to enhance your business savvy; keep up-to-date with unique article discounts; and learn how quality content can increase sales and boost profits.
July 25, 2008
Using proper search engine optimization (SEO) to optimize your website is one of the most important tools that webmasters use for a better online presence. Without a strong online presence, you probably won’t get picked up too well by the top three search engines, Google, MSN and Yahoo. Fail to do that, and you may as well close down your website.
Yet you also want to make sure that when it comes to optimizing your website you don’t overdo it, since this is another way to have the search engines ignore you. Hey, who said that SEO was easy? However, there are ways to make sure your site isn’t over-optimized and these are some of the most effective.
1. Keyword Stuffing
One of the biggest mistakes most websites make when it comes to SEO is misunderstanding keywords and their placement in the site. Keywords are the terms that people type into a search engine to find a certain product or service. If you have your keywords used effectively, this will enhance your chances of the search finding your site. The optimum target for keyword use is around 2-4% - any more and you’ll simply dilute their effect.
2. Duplicate Content
Another area where the search engines will either reward or punish you is via the content on your site. You will score more ranking points for unique custom content than you will by using PLR – private label rights – content. PLR is where you can either buy a bunch of articles or get them for free from places like EzineArticles.com.
Agreed, these will help fill your site with content – along with thousands more. Imagine how less effective a PLR article you share with 1,000 other websites will be compared to a unique one written either by yourself or a professional copywriting service?
3. Buying Backlinks
There’s no denying the benefits of backlinks when used properly. Basically, backlinks are links to your website from an external source – so it could be a blog of yours, or a website or blog posting from elsewhere (say a supplier of yours, or someone who has reviewed your site, for example). However, lately there has been an abundance of websites that offer “paid links”, where for a certain fee they promise you so many backlinks to your site.
The problem here is that the search engines only really take into account links that are relevant to your site – so if you’re an IT company, a link from a computer software firm will hold more sway than a link from a cuddly toy retailer. For quality and authority links, only accept or propose links to and from companies that are in your business field.
4. Social Media Saturation
With the growing popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Digg and similar, social networking/media is now being touted as the next evolution in SEO. Yet while it’s true that having an increased presence via more sites online will build an online presence, this is only true of these ones that actually have any real impact.
While Facebook is excellent for keeping up-to-date with old friends and MySpace is the ideal place to find new music, for effective SEO presence you’ll want to use sites like Technorati, Twitter, Stumbleupon and Digg. Although Digg can actually work against you if you don’t get many hits to your news, since the new Google will rank more on popularity and following than the amounts of online identities you have.
5. Blackhat SEO
For anyone unfamiliar with SEO techniques, there are two main methods – whitehat SEO and blackhat SEO. There is also an area known as greyhat SEO, which walks the thin line between whitehat and blackhat.
Basically, whitehat SEO is the method of optimizing your website using ethical search engine optimization methods. These include unique quality content, blogging, keyword rich articles, authority backlinks and utilizing the correct social networking sites.
Blackhat SEO, on the other hand, uses far less ethical methods and are usually only good for a short, sharp hit. These include spamming, buying links to falsify your site’s popularity, hidden pages on your site, keyword stuffing and more. Although it’s true that these methods can offer a modicum of success, it’s very much short term and will quickly have your website blacklisted by Google and the major search engines.
Although optimizing your website yourself is possible, it can be a hit and miss affair - therefore using the services of expert SEO copywriters will not only ensure your success now, but help you maintain the top rankings a properly optimized website will bring.
July 24, 2008
Search engine optimization has governed the minds and actions of webmasters everywhere for the past decade. Some online entrepreneurs spend thousands of dollars trying to please the search engines. From hiring SEO specialists to participating in questionable tactics thought to improve rankings, the typical website owner places most of their faith in the ability of the search engines to drive their traffic -
If Google disappeared tomorrow, would your website fade as well?
Not long ago, every internet user turned to the search engines for their online needs. Whether you were researching, shopping, or just surfing - Google or Yahoo were typically the starting point. Today the search engines still play a very important role in our online experience, but our methods of discovering new websites are shifting tremendously.
How do you, personally, use the Internet?
Chances are - your target audience uses it the same way. The internet has evolved into an interactive community. RSS feeds, social media, and the new web 2.0 have changed the way we search, surf, and work online. While you may ‘Google’ the new car you’re considering or search for the latest sports scores, the typical internet user of today will see, read, and even share dozens of websites each day without ever seeing a search engine — is your website benefiting from this type of traffic or are you still relying on nothing but SEO?
The New Face of Search Engines
With more and more internet users trusting their peers to recommend the best websites and online destinations, it makes sense that the major search engines would want to follow suit. In fact, a new Google is just around the corner. Instead of backlinks and keywords - ratings from other users, reader reviews, and comments will determine your rankings and drive your traffic.
Search engine optimization as we know it today could very well become a thing of the past once social search engines are in place and functional. Is your website ready for the next generation of SEO?
Search Engine Optimization for Web 2.0
The above link outlines several possibilities of tomorrow’s SEO but the key to a successful website, with or without the search engines, is to provide the rest of the online world with valuable, informative, and entertaining content. While keywords will still play a role in social search engine optimization, original, quality content will be more important than ever before.
You can prepare for the Google of tomorrow by being an active part of the online community today.
- Participate in social media sites like Digg and StumbleUpon.
- Use micro-blogging applications like Twitter and Plurk.
- Become part of a blog community and actively contribute.
- Connect with others at social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn.
While search engines will probably always be a significant part of the internet, they will not always be the search engines we know today. The social side of the internet is growing at a rapid rate and, in the very near future, Google’s new search engine will create an even bigger shift toward interaction, active involvement, and - most importantly - useful, informative content.
Further reading at The Future Buzz: This is a terrific first-hand example of the success organic traffic building can have today, as well as in the future. Great content and sincere interaction have built a successful website that will naturally fit into the new Google experimental search engine.
