Excess Voice Newsletter
July 2006, Issue # 111

 

In this issue:

 

>> Intro: We tend not to write our own sites
>> Review: The 2005 Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey
>> Article: 7 Tips on writing a web site landing page sequence
>> Experiments: The ROI of PPC vs. Affiliate programs
>> Survey: What Do You Do?

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Greetings,

 

In the last issue I asked how many of us used our writing and design skills to create sites of our own and make a little extra money on the side. A number of people answered like this, “I would like to, but haven’t got around to it yet”.

 

My advice is to start something today. I can say with absolute certainty that I have learned more about writing for the web by working on my own sites than through any other means. Go to somewhere like GoDaddy and you can get a domain and start a new site or blog in a couple of hours.

 

Also from the last issue, many thanks to everyone for their emails and insights about my own two “competing” sites, CoffeeDetective.com and CoffeeBestBuys.com. I’ll keep you updated with their progress.

 

This week we have an article about landing page sequences -- when the action you want taken requires a primary landing page and then one or more other pages as well.

 

And, as always, please take a moment to complete and return this issue’s survey.

Until next time,

 

Nick

 

Nick Usborne

ExcessVoice.com
FreelanceWritingSuccess.com
AskNickUsborne.com

>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com

 

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REVIEW: The 2005 Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey

 

It may be 2006 now, but this report is as valuable now as it was last year.

 

Read it and you'll know how much to charge for that next freelance copywriting job - without having to worry about estimating too high or too low.

 

Chris Marlow, a very successful copywriter and copywriting coach, sent out questionnaires to hundreds of copywriters. The results are very interesting, giving us insights into how much copywriters earn, and how much they charge for all kinds of different writing jobs.

 

If you are a freelance copywriter, are thinking of becoming a freelance copywriter...or if you buy services from freelance copywriters...this report is for you.

 

Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/copyfees.htm

>> Previous Reviews

 

::: At ExcessVoice.com :::

#1. Keyword Discovery – a keyword research and analytics tool for SEO and PPC.

 

Filled with advanced search features, Keyword Discovery draws on search results from over 200 search engines. If you are serious about attracting organic search engine traffic, or optimizing PPC campaigns, you'll want to check this out.

 

Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/keyword-discovery.htm

 

::: At Freelance Writing Success :::

#1. Cracking the Case Study Market, by Steve Slaunwhite

 

Who would imagine you could make $1,250 or more by writing a two-page study of a success story? The case study market is growing by leaps and bounds and needs more copywriters who know how to handle this simple format.

 

Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/case-study.php

 

#2. Start your own Resume Writing Business

 

This is the perfect money-maker for any writer who can put aside a little time occasionally. There is a huge demand for quality resumes. This course gives you the tools (including software) to start and build a real business writing resumes.

 

Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/resume.php

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ARTICLE: 7 Tips on writing a web site landing page sequence.

 

Much has been said and written about how to optimize individual landing pages.

 

However, when you want a web site visitor to take an action, if often takes more than one page.

 

So how much work do you put into optimizing not just the primary landing page, but also the pages that follow?

 

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you write and optimize a landing page sequence.

 

1. If you can, reduce the length of the sequence. If it takes three pages for someone to complete their purchase, registration or search, see if you can cut it back to two pages. And so on.

 

Why? Because you will never achieve 100% clickthrough from one page to the next. So the more pages it takes, the more people you will lose.

 

2. Keep each page on purpose. Be very clear about the objective and purpose of each page, from the primary landing page onwards. Be clear about it yourself as you write, and make it clear to your readers.

 

3. Keep all the important information within one column and create a strong linear flow from top to bottom. Multi-column pages are fine when you want people to browse and explore. But when you want a specific action to be taken, you will increase conversions by confining yourself and the reader to a single column. Cut away any element that is not “on purpose”.

 

4. Write a strong headline. This is pretty obvious advice. But you really do need to express value in your first few words. Get people thinking, “Yes, this is what I want.”

 

5. Work hard on the last few lines of the page. With a multi-page sequence you need as many people as possible to move on to the next page. Just saying “Next...” isn’t good enough. Repeat the core value of your offer and, wherever possible, make an offer, or promise an incentive or bonus at this point. You need to move those fence-sitters.

 

6. Consider adding an email-capture field at the end of the first page in the sequence. And make sure you give people a good reason to add and submit their email address. If you get their email address at this stage, you can follow up with them if they don’t complete the purchase or registration.

 

7. Format your page text. Use short paragraphs, bullet points and indents to make the page look easy to read, and to apply emphasis where it is needed most. Don’t over do it, or the page will look a mess.

 

Concluding thoughts...

 

What I have described above may remind you of some of those single-page sites selling information products.

 

And it’s true that these seven points follow the same direct response guidelines for an effective sales page.

 

The key here is to follow the guidelines, but to keep the tone and pace in keeping with your own brand and positioning.

 

For some pages a quite aggressive headline may be the right choice. For another product, service or company, the same value should be expressed just as clearly, but without the aggressive edge.

 

It’s a matter of using a proven direct response approach and matching it to the feel and tone of your own business.

 

Remember, a multi-page sequence presents a real challenge. You can win or lose at any point on any page. Follow these guidelines to maximize the number of people who keep moving from one page to the next, and complete the final call to action.

 

** If you found value in the article, please forward this newsletter to colleagues and friends who might be interested.

>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com

 

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MARKETING EXPERIMENTS: The ROI of PPC vs. Affiliate programs

 

Teleconference call, no charge:
Wednesday, July 26th, 4:00PM EDT

 

If you run any Pay Per Click campaigns, you may have noticed a pattern of declining ROI over the last year. If so, consider investing some time in building a good affiliate program to take up the slack and get revenues rising again.

 

Sign up here:
http://www.marketingexperiments.com/upcoming-web-clinic.html

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SURVEY: What Do You Do?

 

I have run this survey before, but have no doubt that the balance of answers will have shifted over time. It will be interesting to see what we all do. Check as many boxes as appropriate.

 

[ ] Online copywriting
[ ] Offline copywriting
[ ] Web content writing
[ ] SEO writing
[ ] Designer
[ ] Online marketing
[ ] Search Engine Marketing
[ ] Web Master
[ ] Other (please give details)....

Comments: ....

 

 

 

 

 

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