Issue 139 of the Excess Voice newsletter for online copywriters

For information on my coaching service for freelancers copywriters, visit:

For information on my own copywriting, consulting and speaking services, visit:

Excess Voice Newsletter
September 2007, Issue # 139

In this issue:

>> Intro: No good blogs?
>> Review: Desktop Marketing for freelancers
>> Article: Where and how to place your links in a 2-column HTML email
>> Survey: How Productive are You?
===============================================

Greetings,

In the last issue’s survey I asked “Which is the best blog for online writers and copywriters?” The response was skinny, to say the least. Maybe we don’t read many blogs on writing and copywriting (unlikely), or perhaps my totally un-automated survey process got in the way.

For this issue I have written an article with a very tight focus…looking at how to maximize click-throughs from HTML emails.

And the review is about a course designed to help freelancers increase the scope of the services by becoming “Desktop Marketers”.

Finally, as always, please take a moment to respond to this issue’s survey.

Until next time,

Nick

Nick Usborne

>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com

===============================================

REVIEWS:

Desktop Marketing – a course for freelancers who want to increase their income by offering writing AND design services.

This is a new course from AWAI, aimed at anyone who wants to offer marketing services to small business clients.

It’s a 500-page course with sections on copywriting, commercial design and business development.

Who would benefit from taking the course? A lot of people, including those who want to set up a home-based marketing service from scratch.

But I think the people who could use this to the very best advantage are copywriters who want to add design to the services they offer.

I think there is a huge opportunity here for copywriters, simply because so many small businesses would love to be able to outsource both their copywriting and design needs to a single supplier. Having one person handling both areas would make life a lot easier for them.

In addition, a copywriter who also offers design services will instantly be in a position to differentiate himself or herself from the fast-growing number of copywriters.

Read my full review of Desktop Marketing here:
http://www.excessvoice.com/desktop-marketing.htm

Previous reviews:

#1. The Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey, Volume 2.

This is the second volume of this survey, fully up to date, and with a lot more information on what to charge for 40 different types of freelance copywriting work, how to find new assignments, and more.

Read my review...
http://www.excessvoice.com/copywriting-fees-survey.htm

#2. Productivity Engineering - a hypnosis CD program to help you improve your work performance.

An excellent program I tried myself with considerable success.

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

#3. Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

This is the only copywriting course I wholeheartedly recommend to any copywriter who wants to write copy that drives results.

Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/michael-masterson.htm

#4. 7 Ways to Power Up Your Landing Page Headlines

If you ever find yourself having to write a landing page, you may want to get a copy of this guide. This is something I wrote, drawing on my own work over the last ten years, and also on a multitude of test results.

Listen to my introduction:
http://www.freeiq.com/7waystopowerupyourlandingpageheadlines1

===============================================

ARTICLE: Where and how to place your links in a 2-column HTML email.

When companies send out promotional emails, they usually create them in HTML, so they can feature product photos and make the whole email look more attractive.

(And, of course, they use HTML so they can track the performance of each email, collecting data on open rates, click-throughs and unsubscribe rates.)

Often, these emails will have two columns, beneath a header area, a little like a miniature web site page.

There is usually a left or right side narrow column, where you’ll find product photos and link buttons.

And then the main column, in which you’ll read the main sales text.

You have probably seen emails like this, whether they are promoting books, travel, software, courses and reports or a host of other products and services.

>> So, where is the best place to put your links in order to maximize click-through rates?

I haven’t seen nearly enough testing on this topic, but I have seen quite a bit, for a variety of different products and services.

And the results of what I have seen so far pretty much tally with what you would expect to find if testing a web page of similar design.

This may not be the last word on the subject, but if you follow these tips, you won’t go far wrong:

1. Links in the side columns will not perform as well as those in the center column, even if they are accompanied by nice product photos.

2. In the main column a simple best practice is to place a text link early on in the text as well as at the end.

3. When writing the text links, a descriptive link will usually out-perform a shorter, instructional link. In other words, “save 20% on our end-of-season Sea Kayaks” will likely do better than “buy now” or even “check out our low prices”.

4. If you are selling more than one product in your email, you will probably get a higher click-through on the first product mentioned, and the lowest click-through on the last. (This is generally true, but definitely not true all of the time.)

As you can see, I have used plenty of qualifiers like “usually” and “likely”.

The best practices I describe are true of what I have seen overall.

That said, I also see metrics on emails that fly in the face of all these suggestions.

How come? I don’t know.

But I do know that it’s time to apply the same kind of energy and discipline to testing and tracking emails as we do with new landing pages.

Testing conversion rates on landing pages is all the rage right now. And that’s because it’s so easy to track, measure and report on immediate revenue increases from these pages.

But emails can generate immediate revenues too.

It’s time that more companies put email analytics processes in place.

>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com

===============================================

JOB BOARD

Looking for an online copywriter or web content writer?

Post your job on the Excess Voice Job Board and reach over 20,000 copywriters a month.

http://excessvoice.jobcoin.com/

===============================================

SURVEY: How Productive are You?

When you sit down to write, are you a consistent, high-speed writing demon... or do you find yourself wading sluggishly through your work... or are you sometimes one way, and sometimes another...or does it depend on the kind of work you are doing?

[ ] I'm a consistent speed demon
[ ] I'm kind of sluggish
[ ] Sometimes one way, sometimes the other
[ ] It depends on the project
[ ] Other

Comments:

(NOTE: Any comments and your name may be published in the next issue, or on the Excess Voice web site.)

Cut and paste your replies to me at mailto:nick@excessvoice.com

===============================================

NICK USBORNE'S SERVICES:

Yes, I do more than write articles and publish newsletters.

Ask me to write for your site, emails and newsletters.
http://www.nickusborne.com/copywriting.htm

Ask me to optimize your key offer pages...
http://www.nickusborne.com/consulting.htm

Check out my online marketing advice in audio and other downloadable media.
http://www.conversioninsights.com

Writing For the Web #1

7 Challenges every Writer and Copywriter faces when writing for the Web

Sign up NOW and I'll send you the link where you can download this 35-page guide...

(Your email address will be used only for the purpose of sending you this newsletter, and you'll be free to unsubscribe at any time.)

7 Ways to Optimize the Performance of Your Home Page

7 Ways to Power Up Your Landing Page Headlines

The 6 Elements of a Content-Rich, Money-Making eNewsletter

6 Questions to Ask Yourself when Writing Subject Lines for Your Emails and eNewsletters

Get ahead faster by networking with influential people in your industry