Marketers typically break search marketing into three major pieces:

* Price (How much you’re willing to spend each time a customer clicks on your ad)

* Positioning (Where visitors will see you ad when it’s displayed)

* Phrase (The keywords and phrases that will get your ad displayed among the results)

You might want to consider adding another part to the mix though:

LANDING PAGE

I’m talking about landing pages today - the place visitors land when they’ve clicked on your pay per click ad. You DO have landing pages, right? You don't just let potential clients land on your home page, do you?

Companies spend outrageous amounts of time and money searching for the right combination of terms and phrases for their PPC ad campaigns; monitoring and subtracting/adding new keywords and phrases as time goes on.

The problem is, many companies are sending EVERY person who clicks on an ad to either one landing page, or, even worse, their home page.

The problem with this is that search engine users are typically looking for specific things like “Louis Vitton Sweater” or “iBook Charger Cable”. People who search with these specific terms don’t want to waste their time on your home page - they want to be sent to the specific content they’re looking for. In your case, it could be about your seller services or your buyer services - or whatever you're offering.

In an effective search campaign, you should be modifying your keywords when a searcher is in the “sales lane.” People who search for terms like “Buy a home in Clayton, NC” are much more ready to buy than people searching for “Clayton, NC.” The pages these two searcher see could spell the difference between a sale and setting sail.

Simple things like lowering the number of clicks from your landing page to your conversion page and conversion-optimized landing pages designed specifically for searchers can bring your conversion the front of the sales process - while still allowing visitors to browse your site. Don’t sacrifice time spent on keyword research, and budget, but do spend more time on the fourth piece of the pie: Landing Pages.

A fellow copywriter mentioned this site on Twitter the other day and I wanted to share it with you.

The site is called Sprout and the idea is simple - build your own flash animations without paying an expensive designer.

Now, a word of caution: You should at least be somewhat familiar with the concepts of dragging, dropping, and re-sizing images - as well as the concept of uploading images. If you've ever successfully manipulated an image in a program like PhotoShop, this program is for you.

Sprout is an easy way for you to build, publish, and manage widgets, mini-sites, banners and more. Any size, any number of pages. You can include video, audio, images and newsfeeds and choose from dozens of pre-built components and web services. You can even add slideshows, calendars, countdowns, charts, maps and more.

Keep in mind, I'm a word guy...so starting a design from scrath isn't my thing - Sprout has plenty of templates for you to shoose from and they'll help keep your design on target.

I've created a sample of what Sprout can do on on of my Google Pages. I'm working on a post about Google Pages right now - but in the meantime, check out my masterpiece.

Seriously, it took me ten minutes. Check it out now.

With all the SEO buzz that’s on the Internet these days, it’s easy to get caught up in all the jargon and “secret” insider conversations happening on blogs and other sites. If you’re heavily involved in SEO, those terms are your lifeblood. But, if you’re a company simply looking to hire a content copywriter who understand SEO, most of the topics and definitions aren’t worth the time it takes you to learn them.

Remember, I said ‘most.’ There are some terms out there that you should know before you have a conversation with a content copywriter like me. Knowing these terms will help you better understand a content copywriter’s services, how they arrive at their prices and the rationale behind the copy and content they provide for you.

Here’s my list:

“Bot” (AKA: “robot”, “spider”, “crawler”) -This is a program that search engines use to find and add web pages to their indexed searches. However, search engines aren’t the only ones who use bots. Spammers use bots to ’scrape’ content in order to plagiarize it and use it as their own content.

“CMS” (Content Management System) - These are programs which allow publishers of online content to focus less on webmaster and coding tasks and more on publishing their content. WordPress is an excellent example of a CMS.

Long Tail - Longer, more specific search engine queries that are usually less targeted than shorter, broad queries. For example, a search for “Copywriter” is a very broad term with millions of results. “Content Copywriter in NC” would give you far fewer results. Long tail terms typicaly have three or more terms within them.

LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) - Just a fancy term used to describe the way search engines index commonly associated words in a document. Most SEO experts refer to these groups as “long tail.” (See above) The significance is that while it might be next to impossible to rank a new website on page 1 for a term like “Student Loans”, it is fairly easy rank on page 1 for a “long tail” term like “Student Loans for Underwater Basket Weaving Classes”.

META Tags - Statements of HTML page located in the HEAD section that give browsers and search engines information about an individual page. Some META tags are visible in search engines and in your browser (like titles), while some are not (like publisher info). It’s vital to have unique META title and description tags because search engines rely on these things to (a) determine what a particular web page is about and (b) give information about you page to search-engine users.

Static Page - A static page is a web page with no dynamic content or variables (such as session IDs) in the URL. Static pages are great for SEO. They’re inviting to search engine spiders and are fairly easy to create.

URL - Universal Resource Locator - Just a fancy name for a web address.

Widget - A small application or program used on web pages to provide a specific function. The link to my copywriter job board in the upper-left of this page is a widget provided by Job-a-matic. It’s also a generic term borrowed from economics that represents and product or commodity. Thanks for teaching me that, Mr. Holmes.

Site Map - A page or group of pages that link to every accessible page on a website and is intended to improve site usability by simplifying the structure of the site for users. It also helps search engine spiders find all the pages on a site.

SEO - Maybe this term should have been at the top, but if you’re here, chances are you understand at least a little about how SEO works and why it’s important. SEO is the process of increasing visitors to your site by ranking higher in the search engines. The theory is that, the higher you rank, the more people will visit your site since search-engine users typically don’t click past the first few pages of results.

Landing Page - Generally referred to as the page a user lands on when they click a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad. It can be used to harvest email addresses, track campaign results and promote specific products or services.

These ten terms just scratch the surface of the SEO dictionary. But if you understand these ten, you’re probably ready to have a conversation with a content copywriter who’s ready to write your next website, blog, press release or article…like this one.

Does anybody really remember (or want to remember) life before things like email, the Internet and cable TV?

Here’s a list of five things that I use nearly everyday that I can’t imagine (or sometimes remember) living without:

1. My Olympus digital voice recorder. I’m a multi-tasker. And let’s face it, I have to be - I work alone. So when a client or potential client calls while I’m deep in the middle of writing content for a website, it’s great to have a tool that can capture all the details of a phone call so that I don’t look silly asking for the callers notes. The recorder is under $100 but worth every penny. It plugs directly into my USB port so I can save all the conversations I want. COST - under $100.

2. Jott. Much like number 1 on this list, Jott is an audio program. Kind of. When I’m in the car and need to literally make a note of something, I call Jott. It’s an automated program that lets you dictate notes to yourself and have them sent to you via email. How cool is that. And while Jott only allows you to speak for about one minute at a time, I’ve actually dictated ebooks to myself this way - and then gone back and made corrections. Jott is not perfect - but it’s one of he best voice recognition services I’ve seen. You can integrate Jott with Twitter, WordPress and more. www.jott.com COST - Free (for now).

3. My Garmin GPS. I’m a big aviation enthusiast, so every time I read about the latest Garmin ‘glass cockpit’ I smile and chuckle to myself knowing that I have similar technology here on terra firma. My Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS isn’t just a cool map system, it’s an MP3 player, a currency converter, photo album, travel clock, currency converter, calculator and more. COST - $350.

4. My laser printer. Ok, laser printers have been around for a while now. But for a home office freelance copywriter like me, they were less-than-affordable for a long time. Until now. My HP LaserJet P1006 prints quickly and flawlessly. Yes it’s only black and white printing but as a writer, my need for color is small. For color jobs, I outsource to my local Staples - since I have a membership. COST - $99.

5. My iPod Shuffle. No on-screen display? No problem. With the ability to quickly load and arrange songs via iTunes, the Shuffle makes perfect sense for me. I can use it to listen to audiobooks, motivational MP3s and even lectures from universities that make their audio lectures available on iTunes. COST - $50.

Part of the point is that I COULD live without all of these items - if I wanted to. But with the increased productivity I see from these items, why would I want to give them up?

The Internet if overflowing with dull copy. Set yourself apart by making your copy lively and on-topic, and you’ll get attention.

It’s easy to let a designer come up with web age layouts before consulting your copywriter. While it may save some back-and-forth on the front end, later on, when you copywriter complains there isn’t enough room for copy, you might end up kicking yourself.

Designers often say that ‘nobody’s reading copy anymore.’ If you’re tells you this, tell them to shut up. The truth is, nobody’s ready BORING copy anymore, and your designer might not know the difference. A good copywriter can work with a designer to create space for the exact amount of copy you need to seal the deal with your prospects.

From time-to-time I’ll land a project where the client advises that the designer is finalizing the layout and that when he/she is done, it’ll be my turn to fill in the blanks. While I’m more than up to the challenge, it’s been difficult converting clients from that mindset to one of integration with design, copy and client.

Each of us has been late. Sometimes, there’s simply nothing we can do about it. An accident has you stranded in traffic for hours. A flight gets perpetually delayed because of weather.

But, what about those times when the only one you have to blame for your tardiness is you? When you’re late, and you KNOW it’s your fault, how do you feel? Pit in your stomach? Painful guilt? Need I go on?

Being late to a meeting is one thing, but think about the dimension these feelings take on when you’re late to something you can never “catch up” on - like a funeral, a wedding, birthday party and the like. Feelings that come after being late to these events can last a lifetime.

Now, picture your life if you were perpetually early.

According to motivational speaker Doreen Stern*, AKA the Desk Docktor, “When you decide to be early, you no longer think you can fit in just one more thing. You know you can’t. So you use your time more wisely.”

Here’s a challenge from Doreen: “Tomorrow, decide to be early. Allot enough time so that everywhere you go, you plan to arrive ten minutes early.

Go to bed a half hour earlier than you usually do.

Whenever you get someplace early or accomplish something ahead of schedule, tell yourself you’re doing a spectacular job. Stand up straight and preen. Doing so will motivate you to repeat the same feat tomorrow.”

*Doreen Stern is a dynamic speaker, a writer and an organizational coach. As the Desk Docktor, she reveals “The Secret to Turning Your Paper Mess into Success, in 20 Minutes or Less.” Stern has been profiled by the Hartford Courant and the Journal Inquirer. She has been interviewed on Public Access TV and This Hour Has 22 Widgets. Doreen is also a client of Freelance Marketing/PR/Advertising Copywriter Jason Pedley.

I just finished listening to a podcast about motivation and how motivation comes from within individuals because we all work under our own volition blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, when I finished listening to the podcast, I wanted more information about the person I was listening to and his company. Oddly enough, there was no mention of a website or place where I could get more info. I was left to Google my way to their website. The company name was mentioned at the start of the podcast, and I don’t remember hearing it again. And, the first time the company name was mentioned, the inexperienced PR executive put the word “the” in front of the company’s name. That’s like calling FedEx “The FedEx“, or Amazon “The Amazon.” If I were the client, I’d be concerned. A little nibble has been taken out of his brand.

Now, this podcast was produced by a Raleigh, N.C.-based public relations firm who claims to be one of the top in the Raleigh-Durham-RTP area. But to me, it sounds like very little thought was put into the podcast beyond simply writing the questions and asking them in front of the client. I’ve posted about this kind of sucky podcasting in the past. Apparently it’s an on-going problem in this world.

Whenever you create a podcast (or white paper, caste study or other document that leaves your hands and floats into the online world), you need to keep a few things in mind in order for your podcast to be of any value:

1. Mention your company’s name. I shouldn’t even have to say this, but afterpodcast-writer-copywriter listening to this podcast I’m slightly worried that there are numerous PR agencies doing this disservice to their clients. Mention the client’s name and company at the start of the podcast and a couple of times throughout. Podcasts are not some off-the-cuff conversation you just ‘happen’ to be having with a PR agency. They are scripted, purposeful pieces that should get the client’s message across. You write the script so that the company name gets naturally worked in. Mention the client’s name and company name at the end of the podcast, too.

2. Tell people where to get more info, more podcasts, more news, more stuff, more ANYTHING. The podcast I listened to has zero value to me. I’m too lazy to actually Google this company. And while I love the topic of personal motivation, I’m afraid I have NO motivation to find out more about this company. But at least I know Raleigh PR agency’s website to visit if I want some crappy podcasting.

Podcasting is easy. Easy to record, easy to write, easy to distribute and easy to screw up. And that’s exactly what this Raleigh PR agency did in this case.

Don’t let it happen to you.

Ok, I'm in the middle of a project right now, but I've lost my motivation. So now I ask myself - "What is it that motivates me to write a blog post in AR before I finish work on this client project?"

Since I'm the only one can answer that, allow me to tell the truth.

Right now, I'm in the kind of mood where I'd rather help a thousand strangers for free on ActiveRain than help one client and make money off them. Trust me, the feeling won't last long, but it brings up and excellent point -

Motivation is not a static thing. It fluctuates, it has different reasons for being and it can be the cause of your demise if you aren't careful. There have been times in all our lives when our motivations have been spiteful and ill-meaning, right? Maybe it's just me.

As a real estate professional, what is your motivation right now? Do you have more than one motivation? Will your motivations be the same tomorrow?

Sometimes, I don't even KNOW what my motivation is, so I have to take the end result - writing copy/completing a project - and figure out what motivation would cause me to complete the task in the required time. With you, maybe you take your end result - like having a client pick up a pen a sign a listing contract with you - and work back...what would make them pick up that pen? What would they need to think in order to WANT to pick up that pen, etc.

Sounds crazy, but it works. If you know your motivation, what makes you tick, you'll have a great insight into being successful.

Now, let's talk about motivating out clients. Ok, maybe another time - my motivation just changed.

Jason Pedley

Freelance Copywriter 

For a guy who never planned to be a freelance copywriter in the real estate sector, you’d think my days would somewhat unplanned.

The truth is, my days are often as orchestrated as a live television show. Each day has its own long- and short-term goals. The long-term goals and their associated tasks point me in the right direction in life, while the short-term goals help support the long-term ones.

But it hasn’t always been this way. There used to be a time when I would sit at my desk and be welcomed by a pile of new mail in my inbox, dozens of new e-mails and a handful of books and articles that I wanted to read. I kept telling myself that the most important tasks could be done later, and that I had to ‘invest’ my time into emptying my inbox and reading about how to be a better copywriter. Before I knew it, the day was done and nothing that truly mattered had been accomplished.

I decided to be successful in my career as a copywriter, I had to be the one in charge of my time - regardless of who was, or was not, paying me for it. I realized that the best way to do that, was to create my day based on a list that I create.

My Daily Task List:

Taking a cue from FedEx founder Fred Smith, I now begin each day the afternoon before.

I create my daily list of tasks at the end of the previous day - usually after 5pm when I’ve ‘left’ work for the day. I even do this on Friday night in anticipation of Monday.

I begin my list by by taking a look at my list from the current day - making a note of which items on the list I’ve completed and which ones are still in progress. My new list - for the upcoming day - starts with the tasks I have yet to do. From there, I take a good look at my weekly, monthly and yearly goals and objectives to see if there are any other tasks that need to be added to the list. After that, I sort through my inbox to see if there are any actionable items from clients I can add to my list. I either schedule some of those inbox items for the following days, or trash them.

I do all this each day in my own handwriting on a standard 8.5 x 11 pad of paper. I write down the tasks, and the time I estimate it will take me to complete them. After I complete a particular task on the list, I note the actual time it takes to complete a task and cross it off.

On an average work day, I wind up with anywhere between 10 and 20 15-minute to one-hour tasks.

While I prefer to create my list by hand, you may find it easier to create your list on your computer. If I happen to have a task that I think will take more than three hours, I split it into pieces and do it over a couple of days. I tend to do a better job since I’ll have more energy and time to review and edit my work as I go.

In a perfect world, on a perfect day, I get all of my important tasks and most of my medium- and less-important tasks done every day. I try to accomplish as much as possible each day so I can achieve my long-term goals as quickly as possible. But, at the same time, I also want to feel good about my productivity at the end of the working day.

When I complete a task, I cross it off my list and move to the next one. Sometimes I'll do them in a particular order. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, and I still find myself with a little burst of energy every time I finish a task.

Creating my daily task list takes me under 15 minutes. The trick is to work from weekly work objectives, which are integral to monthly and yearly goals.

This system doesn’t work for everybody, but I promise you it’s worth a try. I think you’ll like it.

Before my clients and competitors have even called it quits for the day, I have figured out everything I need to do the next day to meet my goals. I know what has to be done, I know what my priorities are, and I’m already thinking about how I’ll tackle them. I never have to worry about forgetting something important. If you create your lists the way I do, you’ll end up with my same sense of energy and excitement, confident that your day, your week, your month, your year and your life are going to be productive.

...don't count on your broker.

One rule I have for my real estate copywriting business is "celebrate everything."

That doesn't mean pulling out the bottles of bubbly every time I finish a project, (that would make for some interesting real estate copy) but it does mean getting the most out of every accomplishment. For example, when I first saw that one of my blog posts on another community had been placed on the community's home page, I was ecstatic. But my experience told me that it didn't have to end there. So how do you celebrate these 'wins' with more 'wins'?

Here's one idea:

A press release - my first reaction to anything positive that happens in my business, or my clients' businesses, is to ask "does this deserve a press release?" If it does, write one. Or have someone else write one for you. If you're not sure something deserves a press release, ask me. Seriously, I'll tell you (no charge) if your idea is newsworthy or not. Then, submit that press release to local news outlets, online outlets, your website, your blog - wherever you can get it posted. If you can link directly to your agent website via your release, do it.

What this does is a) boost your credibility, and b) generate traffic and links to your website. Press releases aren't that hard to write on your own. Submitting them to all the online submission sites, I'll admit, does take some time. But, it's time well spent. If you know someone who has experience writing search-engine-friendly copy, like me, hire them to help you. If you get one extra sale out of it, it's worth every penny.