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>> Intro: Better Estimators than I Am
>> Article: What Do Your Vistors Hope For?
>> Readers Write Back: Advice on Getting Your Estimates Right
>> Survey: How Do You Stay Focussed on Developing Your Copywriting
Skills?
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Greetings,
Strange how things work out. I thought that the last issue's survey about
estimating for work would draw a lot of responses. But not so. This doesn't
seem to be a big issue. Of those who did respond, 72% claimed to do their
estimating pretty accurately. 28% admitted to estimating too low. And
nobody confessed to estimating too high!
This issue's survey is focused on moving forward with our craft, learning
more about copy and content writing for the online environment.
For myself, I find that speaking at conferences and to companies and
organizations keeps my mind working - keeps me focused on learning more
about copywriting online... what works and what doesn't.
How do you learn? What works for you when it comes to moving forward
and honing your craft?
Until next time,
Nick
>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com
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ARTICLE: WHAT DO YOUR VISITORS HOPE FOR?
The other day I was going through my presentation on the eve of a session
I was giving at Jared Spool's Usability Engineering Conference.
I suddenly realized that I was no longer comfortable with the presentation.
Somehow, between the time I had created it, and the eve of the session
itself, my thinking had moved on a little. I was seeing things a little
differently. (And yes, I did what no speaker should do - I stayed up half
the night changing everything, and gave a presentation that was very different
from the one the attendees had in their handouts.) Hopefully this shift
represented a step forward.
Here is what I was thinking, what made me adjust the presentation.
I was thinking we would all do well to pay more attention to the visitor's
frame of mind, just as she or he opens our home page, or any other page.
This isn't about pushing benefits. This is about empathizing enough with
our visitors to anticipate the likely questions they carry in their minds
and hearts when they arrive at a page on our sites.
For instance, if I were to go the American Cancer Society site, it would
likely be because either I or someone close to me had been diagnosed with
cancer.
I would arrive there in a particular frame of mind; feeling emotional,
with lots of questions.
I think the site - www.cancer.org - does a great job of anticipating
and answering a key question.
Right up front, they say...
"No matter who you are, we can help."
To my mind, ACS does a near-perfect job of anticipating the frame of
mind of their visitors, and of answering the key question that is probably
at the front of their minds, "Can ACS help me?"
How well does your site do that? Or your emails? Or your newsletters?
>> To browse the many articles on my site, go to...
http://www.nickusborne.com/articles
>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com
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READERS WRITE BACK: ADVICE ON GETTING YOUR ESTIMATES RIGHT
Here are some interesting thoughts that were added to the 'Comments'
part of the last survey.
"Although most if not all of us have what's laughingly known as
a
'daily rate' I don't know about you guys, but I can count on the fingers
of one hand the number if times I've been paid on a meter-running basis.
Most projects I work on are funded on fixed budgets and no commissioning
client in their right mind is going to pay high-cost suppliers like us
by the yard.
Where the daily rate comes in handy is to use it as a benchmark for
negotiating a fee. Nearly always, I can tell roughly how long a job is
going to take me once I've had the full brief from the client, so can
come up with a flat "buyout" fee based on that."
--
"I don't estimate any more. I do everything on an hourly rate. It's
just too hard to get it right, and somebody gets sore. My jobs tend to
be big projects.
I do, however, offer blocks of time at a discount price. So I'll sell
25 hours, say, at 80% of my normal rate. When I do, I ask for 1/2 up front.
Half the time I get it."
--
"It's been some time since I was a freelancer but one of the tools
that helps to defray some of the risks of underestimating is a history
of time spent on earlier projects. The tool in question is a week-at-a-glance
calendar with columns divided into quarter-hour increments. Every hour
is billable in an agency, and by keeping records using these calendars,
it's possible to look back and model an estimate accordingly. I can access
my stack of these things, tell you what I was working on at any date from
the last 7 or 8 years. Other records might include invoices from previous
assignments--if they're similar. Clients will range between those which
are low maintenance, those which are typical, and those which will kill
you with revisions, direction changes, etc. For the time-consuming clients,
adjust rates with a buffer--add 50%, or should they have the potential
for being especially problematic, double your ordinary rate (not by the
hour--but by the number of hours you anticipate the job taking). Break
the job into increments; research, meetings and downloads, strategic revisions,
etc. get these upfront costs estimated first. Best then to advise the
client with every change that takes place. Let clients know the meter
is running and it will help to minimize the changes if the budget is locked.
If the estimate is soft, make records of the revisions and forward documention
to the client with e-mailed status reports. The middle costs are the concepting
and creative services to follow; starting with a buy-off on a draft or
outline. Back fill the remaining creative time once initial directions
are agreed upon. The final costs are the revisions and post-production
expenses that will need to take place once the finish materials are presented.
Works for me. Or, at least, it used to."
>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com
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SURVEY: HOW DO YOU STAY FOCUSSED ON DEVELOPING YOUR COPYWRITING SKILLS?
What do you do to stop yourself becoming stagnant, complacent about your
skills? What do you do to challenge yourself and keep learning, keep improving?
[ ] I read books on copywriting
[ ] I attend seminars or workshops on copywriting
[ ] I study the work of other copywriters
[ ] I teach or speak about copywriting
[ ] I make myself available as a mentor for younger copywriters
[ ] Nothing much
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