Writing Success

I’ve decided to take on speech writing projects after being asked by a relative to draw up one for his boss. He supplied me with the points that this employer needs and the details surrounding the delivery of the speech. Working with him, we came up with one which was both well-delivered and appreciated by the audience.

From this experience, I can deduce the following when writing for you: first and foremost, I need to know the details surrounding the delivery of the speech. What details? Information like the venue, function or event, purpose, audience and timing all comes to play. Also, I would like to know what you or your boss would like to say and how. Would you like it to sound formal with statistics and quotes sprinkled over the top? Perhaps your presentation needs to be simplified for a more general audience? It all trickles down to what you intend to achieve.

From the speech itself, I intend to understand your personality and delivery style. The speech should be written to reflect you, not me. After all, when you deliver it, the media and your audience will be quoting you. Do you want to avoid controversies and remain conservative? Can being controversial help you achieve your objectives? Maybe you’d like to provoke a thinking process but would like to end with a conservative summary. Essentially, what I need to know is the image and effect you want to project.

What I also learned and incorporate is to give the speech my all, yet not allow personal emotions to prevent any changes and tune-ups.

Email me now for more information. Remember: don’t give a speech until you do so!

You will find this rather weird. When I started out this professional writing service, I had every intention to keep my projects more on print. Imagine a young lad, aspiring to join the ranks of Bob Bly (website) and Joe Vitale (website) - contemporary trailblazers in the world of direct mail. Thus, my training and studies thus far have been focused on direct mail. Strange enough, currently 100% of my projects are online! It took a client/friend to point that out.

From Leisure Blogging to Professional Content

As a hobby, I keep Standing My Ground (link) on the side. It is my personal blog where I record my most dullest experiences and tender my ‘controversial’ views on politics and current issues. Ironically, this hobby became the foundation to Writing Success and From the Law Student’s Desk (link). Who would have thought: a simple activity such as blogging is a platform for exercise and training to provide web content or web copy.

While Standing My Ground is a personal blog, it is the oldest blog I have at the moment. You should not be surprised if I tell you this: I do grade that blog from time to time. Apparently, on the Google PageRank, Standing My Ground is a three (Report Link). When I did the same test, the PageRank was a 0. Also, the grade awarded improved significantly - from 55/100 in January 2008 to 77/100 about an hour ago. (Link to latest report.)

Fundamentally, what you should know is this: I constantly attempt to improve my blogging skills to comply with the latest trend and developments to ensure maximum effect. Where I lack, I try to fill it up. This is to ensure that the web content in the form of my personal blog remains on top of certain search terms. Also you should be able to see difference in the layout.

Taking Sermon into Practice

Talk is cheap - anyone can do it. Anyone can talk like a writer, but many fail to actually be a writer. As one who offers web content development and management services, I need to make sure that I can do the best for my clients. Thus, I continue to experiment with the best possible ways to ensure the best possible outcome.

Your copy should be friendly to the eyes. The compound shapes of each paragraph matters. Varying the length shows being written by a human being. Which would you be inclined to believe? A machine generated website? Or human crafted?

Notice the sentence? It’s written in speech style. Basically, in ways which engages you in a conversation. The challenge is really anticipating what you’re thinking. Imagine the rush. It’s like mind reading. Hypnotising, isn’t it?

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO marketing. Not really my specialty. When you contract me, my job is to write the text/content. No more than that. While basic design would be provided where necessary, it is still basic. Think “sketch”.

When Writing For Clients

This is my favourite part; you would be able to learn a lot of my writing style - to make sure it complies with what you want.

I resent lengthy meeting and bureaucracy. I prefer to minimise the meetings. If there’s something you need to tell me, do so via email. Post the information to me. Why? It saves both of us time, energy and money. The more I move to complete your project, the higher the fee will be. Why? Travel expenses.

There’s this poster hanging on my wall, I’m not sure if you have it in your office: Sell your customers what they want, not what you think they want. I wholeheartedly agree. You’re paying me to write to sell, market or promote your product. So I just write. Subject to terms and conditions, I write what you require. I will tender my professional advice. Expect the final draft - before the rewrite - to comply with proven formulas used, tried and tested. If you do not like the arrangement, well, I can explain the reason. Unless you decide to adopt the advice, I will rewrite the project to your specification. Simple, ain’t it?

Constant R&D So You Benefit

Before I end, you should know that I do attempt to get hold of the latest development in this field. Sometimes I suspect I’m going beyond the thresholds of regular 21 year olds. You can expect legal-like approaches to problem solving. Identify the issue, state the principles and later apply. Finally, conclude the arguments. (Link: ILAC/IRAC)

It’s been over a month since I contributed to this blog. No, it is not dead. Basically I have been having some trouble reporting my networking activities and ventures. Dropped this path I have not. Recently, I attended the Post-Graduate Fair/Entrepreneurship Fair/Career Fair held at Mid Valley Exhibition Cenre from 4-6 April. Made new contacts there.

Though exciting and insightful, the outing to the fair is not the focus of this entry. I’m glad to inform you that at the moment, I am studying the viability for copywriting/commercial writing for public figures (e.g. Members of Parliament/MP, Senators, Members of the State Assembly/ADUN). On top of that, I am also conducting a study on packages and services for universities, college universities and institutes of higher education.

As the study concludes, give it 2 weeks max, I will announce each of the package here, on this blog. It will include the individual services that I have to offer to our Yang Berhormats.

Stay tuned for new developments.

Finally my Maxis Broadband Modem is here! For a fee of RM68 per month, I am now able to connect to the Internet from the comfort of my own room. This also means I can provide you with my writing service round the clock - minus classes and sleep.

Hopefully after this I can upload my website to http://www.aldrictinker.com - which is being hosted by Hive Hosting.

I am pleased to inform you that I will be accepting projects and writing assignments. Feel free to browse my blog for the information that you need. Feel free to inquire.

This was supposed to be part of the website I’m working on. Unfortunately I am having troubles in uploading them onto the Net.

Ghost Blogging

Blogging is a great way to promote your product and services at a cheaper cost. You can even create it for free! Yours truly has two at WordPress.com (Standing My Ground and Writing Success). As a blogger, you get to control and decide the contents of your blog. You can also interact with your customers and prospect - or even your fans.

Unfortunately despite this fact, 1.09 million blogs are abandoned by bloggers after one day after they built it (Perseus Development Corporation). Why? Because the blogger has no time nor energy to do it. If your blog is a business blog, not updating it can have negative repercussions. What’s worse is your customers and potential clients will stop visiting it.

Here’s what I can do. For US$ 29/week (international clients) or RM 80/week (Malaysian-based clients), I can ghost blog for you. How does this work? I will supply you with a two paragraph entry twice a week. Alternatively, I can manage your blog and write in your name for US$50/week or RM150/week. Contact me now to discuss on a more customized arrangement.

Tags: CLIENT ORIENTED, customer service, freelance writer, client-writer relationship, writer-client relationship, positive relationship, returning customers, returning clients

    Have you ever wondered what makes a retail store successful? Why do you prefer one shop over another just to buy the same thing? To quote my uncle who has been in the retail industry for over 10 years: service. Where do you put your efforts more? In the end product or in your clients.

    As a freelance writer, my ultimate goal is to win clients. While being hired for projects are important, but it does not surpass positive and healthy writer-client relationship. With over 8 billion people on earth, over half can write. But how I treat my clients distinguishes me from my competition.

    I throw in one free initial consultation meeting and two free revisions to make sure that I am in the same page as you. Why the trouble? Because you’re hiring a writer to sell your products and service. Because the press release and media kit I tweak up can make or break you business’ goodwill. Because at the end of the day, the number of sales you make from that reflects the effectiveness of my writing. Robert Bly offers the writers, both new and old, some valuable advice in Secrets of a Freelance Writer. He warns of how quickly a writer can loose a contract just because of ignoring her prospect’s needs.

    When preparing the copy, a good writer will make sure the client’s needs and the wants of the consumer are the same. Manipulation of the various formulae and maintaining a high degree of integrity and ethics makes the writer – and the client – more credible and trustworthy in the eyes of the consumer.

    In completing my end of the bargain, I try my best to reduce meetings. If possible avoid them all together. With the Internet and telephone, there are other ways to share information. After all, time is money for both my client and I. That is why to save our time; the final draft submitted would be error free.

    Honesty is the best policy. I don’t believe in telling clients and promising them the world when you have no idea how to complete the assignment or if you lack the time. As the vendor, I am at the accepting end. If I accept my client’s offer (project), a binding contract is formed.

    In Seven Steps to Remarkable Customer Service, Joel Spolsky shares inspiring and educational experience on how important customer service. While getting new clients every now and then is good, returning clients are better. In fact, it carries at least two benefits: returning clients reduces the need to generate leads at 100% and they can introduce your service to their contacts.

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Time passes by and it’s now 2008. I wish you a happy new year! We all have different reactions to the arrival of 01/01/08. Some of us could not be bothered with it. They have their own reasons. For one, I am excited. I could not wait till launching day when I begin writing for clients to help them reach more people effectively; Helping you to spread the benefits of your products and services. I take the opportunity of this first post of 2008 to outline my plans for 2008 - as a copy writer and as an entrepreneur. I hope you the information helpful to you before you hire a copy writer.

COUNTDOWN TO LAUNCH

February 12th, 2008. Starting from that Tuesday, I will actively market my services and begin accepting assignments. What shall be my niche area? Marketing Communications (marcom) and customer communications. Personally, as a consumer and customer, I hate the cold and distant attitude some retailers and businesses have. Either by the owner or their employees. That is the fastest way to loose to competition and eventually seeing red balances. Why February 12th? First, I need some time to iron out some last details of my service. In January, my university will be buzzing with registration and related activities. As a full time student there, I would get caught in the process. The month also will see me settling down after a 5 week holiday. This buffer time also acts as a warming up period to build momentum to last a long time. After all, I want the best only for my clients - as I promise and as they expected.

WEEKEND WRITING SERVICE

In conjunction with the launching, I will begin my weekend writing service. Here’s how it works:- I receive the assignment by Friday and you get the copy on the next Monday. Here’s how it will work: I begin working on the project immediately after receiving the letter of authorization and 1/2 advance payment from you on either Thursday or Friday. The sooner the better. Over the weekend, I will conduct the necessary research, drafting, and proofreading. By Monday, you should have receive your copy via email. For this service, you get 2 free revisions. The outstanding balance must be paid within 10 working days from receipt of the draft, i.e. Monday. This service is only for short copies like brochures, sales letters,  advertorial and the like. Email me directly for current information.

WHO DO I PLAN TO WRITE FOR?

If you are a business based in Malaysia or have a branch here,  you should not miss out on this opportunity. If your target market are the "younger generation", students, youth and young adults, the best person to hire is one of their own. I also accept assignments from government agencies, (Federal, State and Local). I’m here to help you sell and communicate. For now, these are my plans. As we move into 2008, other forms of services would be offered. This concludes my Early 2008 Plan.