December 8, 2008
As you can tell from the gap in blog posts, this is a busy season for writers! Marketers and businesses want to get their holiday and Christmas marketing in full swing, so the Priceless Writers’ girls have been brainstorming, researching and writing away. Along with all of the magic, a new trend is in the air – ‘written Christmas gifts.’
With the awareness of global warming and the health of our planet increasing, individuals are stuck thinking of new and inventive eco-friendly holiday gifts. There are many different options, and among them are written gifts; gifts that will not create more waste and that loved ones will cherish always. In the spirit of the season, here are 7 unique and written Christmas gift ideas.
1. Write Your Loved One a Poem – sure, this isn’t a very original idea but it’s a great one. This is an especially great gift for guys to give their sweethearts or for children to give parents. Spend a little time thinking about what your loved one means to you – and capture it in words.
2. Create a Book of Memories – This is a fun and creative idea for a written holiday gift. Using a beautiful blank journal, create page titles and allow members of your family to write down their favorite memories about the recipient. Think grandparents, parents and aunts and uncles for this gift! Some subtitles could include:
- Favorite Family Vacation Memory
- Favorite Holiday Memory
- Favorite ‘In Trouble’ Memory
- Favorite Trait about Recipient
3. Pay Homage to Your Loved One with a Website – If you’d rather go really green with your written Christmas gift, create a beautiful website tribute to the recipient. If possible, buy their personal domain name or a domain name which is somehow related to them. Most websites have builder tools which allow non-techie individuals to create a great site quickly. You may want to include pages like these:
- Childhood (with facts about their past and upbringing)
- Favorites (a page about their favorite things)
- Family (pages with pictures and info about family members)
4. Write a Song for Your Loved One – What a beautiful idea for a written holiday gift! If you know someone who could put the lyrics to music, this would work even better. Whether you want to create a sentimental and sweet song for your loved one or a funny and humorous one – it’s a wonderful present that the recipient will never forget. Oh, and go that extra mile and actually sing it for them.
5. Create a Personalized Book for Your Child – This is a very cool idea for your own children or children in your family. Write a story featuring the child and some of his or her favorite activities, toys or hobbies. Then take the pages to your local printing company and have it bound!
6. Write a Book of Memoirs – This is an increasingly popular written gift that many individuals are attempting to write themselves or are hiring ghost writers for. A book of memoirs is a touching and lovely gift idea that is perfect for grandparents, parents or others in your family or group of friends that have led extraordinary lives.
7. Create a Cartoon Strip – Another unique and fun written Christmas idea is to create a cartoon strip for a family member or friend. Do you have memories of someone that are really funny and great to remember? Write the memory in the form of a comic strip! If possible, work with an artist to create the pictures – or simply do it yourself. Then, have the comic strip framed and present it to your loved one!
Imagine your loved one opening a personalized written holiday gift this season! Not only does it carry much more meaning than traditional, store-bought gifts – but it is better for our planet and your loved one is sure to remember it long after other holiday gifts have been thrown in the closet or eaten.
If you’d like a little help with your written Christmas gift, contact Priceless Writers – we’d love to give you a hand creating something wonderful for your sweetheart, your parents or some other special person in your life.
November 12, 2008
Keeping in line with our commitment to promote an eco-friendly world, Priceless Writers is proud to announce our work featured on The Green Connoisseur – your escort to a luxurious and eco-conscious lifestyle. As contributing writers and bloggers, Priceless Writers presents information regarding the latest trends in ‘green’ fashion, travel, relaxation, food and drink.
A few of our articles include:
We also encourage you to comment on the Green Connoisseur blog, where you will find posts written by Danielle, Samantha, and Yona.
November 9, 2008
Looking to improve the customer service that your business provides? Wondering why your website seems to lag behind the competition? Don’t fall victim to the misconceptions of web maintenance or scare away customers with undesirable customer support. Check out last month’s issue of Priceless News. The Priceless Vault will now feature past issues of our newsletter. Remember, if you want to take advantage of future discount coupons for quality content, you must become a VIP member!
November 3, 2008
Photo by wtl photos
From cars and transport to homes and furniture, there seems to be a green alternative to just about everything these days – shouldn’t your business be one of those options? Many companies are taking steps to make their products and operations more eco friendly. Green businesses play a major role in the future of sustainability and also share a huge profit potential as more people adopt environmentally-friendlier lifestyles.
Why Go Green with Your Business?
Scientists have finally agreed that global warming is primarily caused by human activities and that the future doesn’t look too bright – especially if we continue to live with our present habits. Reducing carbon emissions and finding more sustainable solutions for living are a priority if we want to continue existing on our planet.
The most important reason to green your business – as well as your personal lifestyle – is to protect our planet, our population, our animals, and our future.
Your clients and consumers will also benefit. Companies that contribute to pollution and do nothing to curb emissions will eventually be forced to change their habits, either due to environmental protection laws or because the planet simply won’t support their harmful behavior any longer. Whatever the reason, these businesses will invest a great deal of money into financing the necessary changes and will then pass those costs to the consumer. Adopting greener business policies now can save you and your clients money in the future.
Finally, greener practices can increase your bottom line. While going green may seem costly at first, most environmentally friendly choices will save your business money in the long run. This could come in the form of lower electric bills, tax incentives, reduced disposal fees, or even increased sales.
How to Green Your Business
Photo credit: Net Efekt
Going green is obviously a smart choice for both you and your business – but what can you do to be more environmentally friendly? For some companies, the answer is obvious. An oil company, for example, would be wise to search for and manufacture alternative fuel options. A manufacturing business may examine cleaner ways to produce their products or choose more sustainable materials for the process.
Many businesses, however, will need to look for more subtle ways to adopt greener practices. This could be something as simple as changing a light bulb or recycling. I’ve already mentioned 3 small things you can do to make your business greener in another post – here are a few more!
The Brick and Mortar Business World
Small offices, local stores, hair salons, and other small businesses that make our neighborhoods complete can find a variety of ways to make their company more environmentally friendly. Many of the same things we do to reduce, reuse, and recycle at home can be used in the office:
- Switch out standard light bulbs for Energy Star bulbs.
- Avoid chemical-laden cleaners and products, opting for eco-friendly versions.
- Substitute Styrofoam or plastic cups and food containers with biodegradable dishes.
- Recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum that passes through your office.
- If you can’t reuse boxes and shipping cartons that enter your doors, find a local arts and crafts program, moving company, or school that may have a use for them.
- Encourage shoppers to bring reusable shopping bags rather than contributing to the ever-growing plastic bag problem.
- Search for vendors and suppliers that do their part to improve the environment.
Home Based Businesses and Online Companies
Several of the ideas listed above can also make your internet or home based business more eco friendly. Some of these suggestions may work with a small office or shop as well:
- Purchase durable and sustainable computers and electronics.
- Use lamps with energy saving bulbs rather than overhead lights.
- Offer shipping with an eco-friendly carrier using biodiesel or alternative fuel.
- Save important information digitally rather than printing.
- Choose recycled and biodegradable packing materials.
Contractors, Builders, Landscapers, etc.
If your small business operates on the road or at the job site rather than out of an office, you can still make it greener.
- Provide estimates and invoices via email rather than wasting paper – use a recycled option if paperwork is a necessity.
- Power your equipment and tools with a diesel generator and consider biomass.
- Choose cleaner fuel alternatives for trucks and heavy machinery as well.
- Mulch, recycle, sell, or donate waste materials rather than burning or dumping.
- Buy materials and parts locally – from sustainable suppliers – whenever possible.
There are plenty of little things every business owner can do to make a greener, healthier planet. Your business can go green without buying a company hybrid or installing wind turbines – the little changes are just as important and equally beneficial!
What is your business doing to go green? Do you think more companies should adopt eco friendly policies? Share your thoughts on green businesses in the comments!
October 15, 2008
As a business owner, you’re hoping for huge success! Most entrepreneurs can identify with that desire. If you believe in your products or services, your goal will be to proudly introduce the masses to those products or services.
When you start to taste that sweet, exciting flavor of success, the feeling is indescribable. However, as you grow your business and become more successful – beware the bloated ego. Here are some of the dangers of letting your success go to your head!
Getting Too Comfortable In Your Success –
While success is the thing every entrepreneur, business owner or company hopes for – gaining it also increases vulnerability. It’s very easy to become comfortable in your success and when this happens, you’re not far from forgetting that you can fail. One success after another and before long, a business individual can feel invincible.
When you become comfortable and feel invincible, this opens up a weak spot for the competition to feed on. At the beginning of a business or a new deal, most individuals work tirelessly to achieve success and are excited about what the future can bring. At this point, it’s easy to see how success can be drawn to those individuals. When you let that fire go and become too comfy cozy, a host of problems can threaten to overtake you.
Becoming Closed-Minded –
If you ask my grandmother why she mixes her bread from scratch and lets it rise for hours before baking it, she will say, “Because that’s the way I’ve always done it and it works.”
It does work (and is delicious, by the way) but for just a few dollars she could purchase the frozen bread that rises in an hour and tastes just as good. She would shave several hours off of her preparation and would be a lot more efficient with her time. Becoming closed-minded about the way you do things is another danger of letting your success go to your head.
If you refuse to see the advantage of trying new ways to complete a project or sell your products, your business will never stay on the forefront of your industry. There are other businesses that are doing things more efficiently and you must stay competitive if you want to stay successful. By staying a step ahead of the competition and keeping your processes and methods innovative, you can hang on to that success!
Forgetting about the ‘Little Guys’ –
I’m one of those people who will brag and brag about a company I love and if I’ve had a bad experience, I will tell everyone! For instance, recently my family went out to a nice restaurant for dinner. After our drinks came, we waited more than an hour for our waitress to come and take our dinner order. There were two other parties there besides ours – and we waited an hour! Assuming there was a crisis in the kitchen that demanded all available hands, we went ahead and ordered dinner.
After a mediocre meal with no drink refills, we left the restaurant. A few days later, I discovered that my credit card had been charged not once, not twice but THREE times for the same meal. When I called the owner, I received an attitude and a half-hearted offer for a free meal. It was a terrible experience and we never went back. My entire family and all of my friends had to live through this story of the restaurant from hell and not a single one of them visited. Knowing my family and friends – I’m sure the story was passed around.
Your customers should never be forgotten. As you’re experiencing your success, don’t forget about the people who have helped you get there. Without your customers – you are nothing, so take it to heart when they purchase from you or remain loyal to you. If you truly appreciate their business, let them know with great customer service and rewards! Losing one customer may not hurt your business, but word of mouth continues to be the most powerful form of advertising – so make sure that advertising is good and not bad!
In closing, success is wonderful but it’s a double-edged sword. Stay on your toes with your business and refuse to allow success to force you into complacency. Keep in mind, there is always another company with services similar to yours waiting to fill your shoes and do the things you neglect to do!
October 12, 2008
Don't let Microsoft Spell Checker create lazy habits in your writing!
The inspiration behind this post comes from the red-squiggly line that greets me every time I type ‘positivity’ into a sentence. Let’s face it – Microsoft Spell Checker is not our best friend, especially when we’ve become too dependent on using its services. Oftentimes, this popular feature provides a false sense of security, from stressed-out college students to the best of writers. Spell Checker makes it much easier to skimp on proofreading or glance over similarly spelled words.
Spell Checker also makes us lazy and less adept in our writing. We start to form habits impossible to kick – like ingrained spelling errors that we’ll use whether we’re typing a blog comment or drafting a handwritten thank-you letter. I’m guilty of it – when I email friends or engage in a bit of Instant Messaging, my spelling is sometimes comical. I find that I’m usually misspelling some of the same words over and over again, but instead of grabbing the dictionary and committing these common flaws to memory – I brush it off because I know Spell Checker will serve as my attentive companion.
However, we are often placed in everyday writing situations where the computer does not come to the rescue, like:
- Completing college exam essays
- Typing directly into online forms
- Sending a postcard to loved ones
- Writing a simple school sick-note for your kids
Where is Spell Checker then? Nowhere to be found and in the end, your spelling accuracy and grammar suffers. Then, there are the people who rely on Spell Checker to not only catch their spelling mistakes, but to also correct their grammar bloopers. What happens when they encounter a Web editor that doesn’t offer this feature?
Don’t Weaken Your Image
For the freelance writer, typos are not only embarrassing, but they often suggest unprofessional work when you’re guilty of the blunder more than once. Clients are not paying for mistakes and errors. While we are all imperfect humans and occasional slips of the proofreading process are to be expected, many clients in the business world are unforgiving. And please, please, please – whatever you do – don’t overlook a typo on your resume.
Recommendation: Always manually proofread your pages and when dealing with a large amount, print out your work and edit away from the computer. Sometimes, the strain of looking at a bright screen when going over your writing can contribute to overlooked misspelling and grammatical errors.
We’re All Victims…
Just the other day, I sent an article in for a second round of proofreading and was alerted to a rather embarrassing slip of the eye. Apparently, I had substituted “pubic” for “public.” I reread the article several times, yet did not pick up on the mistake. Sometimes, you just have to step away from a piece for a few moments to give your eyes a chance to refocus. There is a fine line between knowing what you want to say and actually accomplishing it without error. At times, we are truly blinded when it comes to proofreading our own work, especially if it’s regarding a piece we’ve spent a great deal of time on.
However, that’s why at Priceless Writers, clients not only have one sweep of the proofreading wand, but at least two once-overs by fellow partners. We keep each other on our toes, pointing out the glaring and not-so-obvious mistakes that appear hidden in text.
And, we don’t rely on our not so best friend, Mr. or Mrs. Spell Checker.
October 6, 2008
Are the leaves turning crisp shades of brown, gold, yellow, and orange in your neck of the woods? This month, we say “hello” to autumn-dotted landscapes and hot apple cider. October also means Halloween is just around the corner, bringing out all the things that go ‘bump in the night.’
However, this isn’t the time to scare away the customers by failing to effectively market your business or by stumbling over the latest methods of driving traffic to your website. Subscribe now and you can still enjoy our Halloween Edition of the Priceless News…
October 2, 2008
At Priceless Writers, we are extremely excited about the possibility of winning the StartUpNation Home Based Business Award. We started Priceless Writers because we wanted to provide a one-on-one experience to our clients that produces quality content and reaps results.
The opportunity allowed us to communicate better with our clientele and bring success to their business through broadened services and a collaborative effort. We’ve enjoyed the entire process – as this experience has solidified a position within the ‘green’ writing world. Priceless Writers has also cultivated an assortment of innovative ideas for the near future that gives back to the public and environment.
We have a dedication to our clients that you just don’t find with other content companies or freelance writers. Why? Because we are the people who work online – the business individual trying to promote a website, the girl with the amazing product who just needs an amazing sales letter, the guy running a small business and trying to make it a success!
We are the people with the ‘internet jobs,’ and we are those people trying to live their dream! Our goal is to make it easy, affordable and enjoyable to get QUALITY written works from online freelancers.
To vote for Priceless Writers, you don’t have to sign up or register! Just click the ‘vote’ button! You can vote every day as well. Help us show the world who ‘we’ are!
September 25, 2008
Search engine optimization is still one of the biggest challenges faced by any webmaster – even in the socially-saturated world of web 2.0, ranking well in the search engines continues to be the foundation to a successful website. Thousands of dollars are spent each month hiring specialists, buying links, and investing in ‘the latest’ optimization tricks…but is it worth it?
The Ever-Changing Face of Search Engines
I was talking with a web design and branding specialist a few days ago and we were discussing the SEO needs of a few of his clients. “There are so many different companies out there and things change so fast,” he said. “How can you know what’s going to work and what’s not?”
It is estimated that Google provides results for more than 90 million searches each day. What company would jeopardize that sort of success by placing irrelevant or nothing but ad websites in their top results? Photo by manfrys via Flickr
Well, the first thing to remember is that success doesn’t happen overnight – even in the search engines. Promises of “instant rankings” and “thousands of backlinks” are usually not as good as they may sound. Search engines like Google and Yahoo are continuously changing their ranking formulas to prevent successful results from methods like these.
So What Works?
While gaining your company first place ranking on Google does require the right combination of several different factors, search engine optimization is really not as complicated as you may believe. The first logical step in determining the best strategy is to consider what the search engines like to see – Google’s webmaster guidelines are probably the best resource for this.
Webmasters who spend their energies upholding the spirit of the basic principles will provide a much better user experience and subsequently enjoy better ranking than those who spend their time looking for loopholes they can exploit.
Taken from the Quality Guidelines section, the above passage sums up the foundation to SEO that works. Before spending time, money, and resources on strategies and programs to improve your search rankings – invest in techniques that will benefit your readers and improved search rankings will naturally follow.
There Must Be More to It…
You’re right, simply putting up a website with a few informative articles and a how-to will not put you at the top of Google. Search rankings are primarily determined by keywords and their relativity to the site and the number of links pointing to the site, as well as the wording and context of those links and the authority of the linking site.
So What’s the Truth About SEO?
Like the driving force behind a successful brick-and-mortar business, the reputation of a worthwhile website will pave the way for longterm success. Easy navigation, a well-designed site, and interesting, entertaining, and informative content related to your niche will increase the possibility your visitors will return, it will generate backlinks from other related websites, and it will allow easy access to search spiders that determine rankings.
Photo by jeffrey Beall via Flickr
There are a number of details that can improve your chances of success:
- The quality and usefulness of information.
- The keywords and phrases selected.
- The placement of those keywords in the content and website.
- Techniques to boost the visibility of the website.
But the foundation of search engine success, as well as business success in general, is providing your audience with something they consider useful enough to share with their friends.
Subscribe to our blog to learn more useful tips on search engine optimization and making your content work for you and be sure to sign up for Priceless News to learn the frightening facts SEO firms hope you never learn, coming in the October issue.
