"Market perception"... what's your time worth?
Do you ever feel like a hamster on an exercise wheel?
That's what these last 6 months have been for me as I've struggled to launch a new variation on my Internet publishing career.
Seeking work as a "web copywriter" is not as easy as most would expect. While there's not a ton of competition, there is a lot of work to be done in terms of "market perception".
What do I mean by "market perception"?
I'm talking about the value potential clients assign to the work they want done. Often, they have no idea what it takes to produce content, sales pages, ad copy, etc. I speak from experience as I've always produced my own marketing materials, even when I managed a Holiday Inn restaurant many years ago. I did all the design, layout and content for the menu, right down to the actual master.
Fortunately, I've learned to value time, so have no problem communicating my "hourly wage" to a client.
Here's where most folks get a little de-railed. They're clueless as to the research element. They think you should charge only for the time you're actually writing. That's like believing the iceberg you see is floating completely on the surface, when in reality, you're only seeing 10% of that massive iceberg.
Also, with "market perception" comes "client expectations"... or the apprehension of paying in advance for work.
Copywriters have you pay in advance because many folks have ripped us off. For example, we don't generally write something one time and call it good. We write drafts for your approval, and then re-write one or more times to get the piece polished.
Unscrupulous clients have disappeared only to re-surface much later with our exact copy. They've also taken draft copy to others to finish... or figured they could figure it on their own. That's why we get paid first.
Lastly, there's the position that clients believe copywriters should be paid on results. I have to take exception to that in all but a very few cases.
Yes, I've taken some jobs based on results. That is because the probability of success is relatively high, the payoff is huge, and the client and I have an established relationship.
Most cases, web copywriters will refuse "pay for results" as the process of obtaining results is completely out of the copywriter's hands. Think of it this way. You've asked for something to be written, and you're going to pay based on some sales generated. If you don't adequately market (that's advertise), then the copy is never seen. You think you have no results, when in fact... you don't know.
And so, the summer progresses as I continue to write, look for more people to write for, and establish more business relationships in varying areas
That's what these last 6 months have been for me as I've struggled to launch a new variation on my Internet publishing career.
Seeking work as a "web copywriter" is not as easy as most would expect. While there's not a ton of competition, there is a lot of work to be done in terms of "market perception".
What do I mean by "market perception"?
I'm talking about the value potential clients assign to the work they want done. Often, they have no idea what it takes to produce content, sales pages, ad copy, etc. I speak from experience as I've always produced my own marketing materials, even when I managed a Holiday Inn restaurant many years ago. I did all the design, layout and content for the menu, right down to the actual master.
Fortunately, I've learned to value time, so have no problem communicating my "hourly wage" to a client.
Here's where most folks get a little de-railed. They're clueless as to the research element. They think you should charge only for the time you're actually writing. That's like believing the iceberg you see is floating completely on the surface, when in reality, you're only seeing 10% of that massive iceberg.
Also, with "market perception" comes "client expectations"... or the apprehension of paying in advance for work.
Copywriters have you pay in advance because many folks have ripped us off. For example, we don't generally write something one time and call it good. We write drafts for your approval, and then re-write one or more times to get the piece polished.
Unscrupulous clients have disappeared only to re-surface much later with our exact copy. They've also taken draft copy to others to finish... or figured they could figure it on their own. That's why we get paid first.
Lastly, there's the position that clients believe copywriters should be paid on results. I have to take exception to that in all but a very few cases.
Yes, I've taken some jobs based on results. That is because the probability of success is relatively high, the payoff is huge, and the client and I have an established relationship.
Most cases, web copywriters will refuse "pay for results" as the process of obtaining results is completely out of the copywriter's hands. Think of it this way. You've asked for something to be written, and you're going to pay based on some sales generated. If you don't adequately market (that's advertise), then the copy is never seen. You think you have no results, when in fact... you don't know.
And so, the summer progresses as I continue to write, look for more people to write for, and establish more business relationships in varying areas
posted by Shari Thomas at
1:51 PM
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