excess voice: nick usborne's blog

Now Easier to Subscribe to my RSS Feeds

Not everyone is up to speed on subscribing to RSS feeds. So I have now added some easy "My Yahoo!", "My MSN" and "Bloglines" buttons to both ExcessVoice.com and FreelanceWritingSuccess.com.

You'll find the buttons here:

Excess Voice

Freelance Writing Success

If you use some other feed reader already, here are the urls for the feeds.

For Excess Voice:
http://www.excessvoice.com/excessfeed.xml

For Freelance Writing Success:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/FWSfeed.xml

By subscribing to both feeds you will be able to access the latest content on both sites, and you won't have to worry about newsletter issues being filtered or bounced.

The Mobile Freelancer

It used to be we had to work in the "office" office...and then we could work from a home office...and now we really can work from just about anywhere.

If you are a freelancer, consultant or entrepreneur... the world of laptops, cell phones, web services and internet connectivity have finally reached the point where we can work anywhere, at any time...without compromising our ability to run our businesses.

With this thought in mind...and as a frequently traveler myself...I have just completed a review of Justin Harrison's 10 Steps to The Mobile Office.  It's a terrific report on how to set up and run a mobile office.

My review here:  10 Steps to The Mobile Office

Monday Copywriting Tip #39: Let Designers Know Where the Emphasis Should Lie

When you write some text, whether it be sales copy or content or editorial, you have in mind certain points of emphasis. Much of this emphasis will be communicated through the way in which you write - the pace and construction of your writing.

However, sometimes we also depend on visual formatting to help place the emphasis where it belongs. This kind of emphasis may be communicated through the choice of font, the size of the type, the use of subheads and indents.

Do you have control over the final layout and appearance of your writing? Do you get to sit down with the designer to make sure he or she knows what you are trying to achieve?

If not, talk with the person who commissioned the work and figure out a way of letting him or her know where you think some formatting could help. And hopefully that information will then flow down to the person who does the final layout.

Web Design: Use it to Showcase the Message

Once again, I'm beating my favorite drum. Here's what it says: If the purpose of a particular web site is to drive sales, then use design to present the text in the most readable and accessible way possible.

In other words, if you want to sell stuff, make sure you use design to support the sales message.

Read the full article on my views on web design here...

Graphic Design for Direct Marketers

I have just reviewed a huge course written for designers and non-designers who want to know how to design for direct marketing - sales letters, flyers, direct mail packages, ads etc.  It's an excellent course. I particularly appreciate the almost 100 pages devoted to typography. It's a rare thing to find anyone paying that much attention to the type. And yes, across all media, clear, simple type has a huge impact on the readability of your message.

My review of Graphic Design Success

When It's Not The Writer's Fault

Sometimes it’s tempting to look at the copy on a web site, see how it is lacking in some way, and quickly blame the writer.

In too many organizations, it is not the writer who is to blame. All too often, that writer is simply trying to achieve an impossible compromise between the demands of the marketing group on one side and the web group on the other.

The marketing group wants to use the web site simply to promote their latest and greatest product and service announcements – with the kind of writing that works in print.

The web group wants to apply all they know about web design, usability and SEO – with writing that addresses the particular needs of the web.

And the hapless writer is faced with compromising on everything.

This isn’t a problem with writing. This is a problem with organization and processes. And for many web sites, the writing will never improve until the organization and processes of site management change.

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Popular resource reviews over the last little while:

At ExcessVoice.com.

Productivity Engineering - A hypnosis program to help you improve your performance at work. If you don't get enough work done, if you procrastinate, if you struggle to maintain an optimal, impressive level or performance with your work, read this review. I tried this program and it has helped a lot.

At FreelanceWritingSuccess.com

Start your own Resume Writing Business. This is the perfect money-maker for any writer who can put aside a little time occasionally. This course gives you the tools (including software) to start and build a real business writing resumes.

Resume Writing for Part-Time Income

Most writers have some down-time. Freelancers certainly do, from time to time. Not every day is packed with paid-for hours. There are plenty of productive ways you can use that time. Here's another you might want to consider: start a part-time resume writing business to supplement your income.

All is revealed in my review of: The "New and Expanded" Lazy Writer's Quick & Easy Money Program

How To Get More Done

I just added a new article to the Freelance Writing Success site. It's about achieving a little more each day, getting one more task completed. I wrote it with freelancers and home business people in mind. But really the tip can apply to anyone, self-employed or employed.

Freelance Productivity: Do One Thing Extra Each Day

Search Engine Copywriting

The latest issue of the Excess Voice newsletter is now  online, including an article on the need for online writers to understand search engine optimization.

The full newsletter: Excess Voice, Issue #78
The article: Search Engine Copywriting: Get Past Lumpy
The review: The 2005 Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey

Monday Copywriting Tip #38: They Don't Read Instructions

Last week I was reviewing a search page on a client’s site. The search and selection process involved a number of different drop-down menus, and some check boxes.

Above these columns of drop-down menus and boxes were 128 words of text. What was the text about? Instructions on how to use the search and selection process.

There are two lessons to be learned here.

1. If any process on your site requires 128 words to explain, it’s time to change the process.

2. Nobody reads instructions anyway. So you had better make sure that when your visitors just look at what’s in front of them on the screen, it is clearly evident what they should do and what results they can expect.

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Popular resource reviews over the last little while:

At ExcessVoice.com.

Landing Page Handbook - How to Raise Conversions. A very popular report from MarketingSherpa, including numerous before-and-after examples of landing pages, and what it took to make them convert better.

At FreelanceWritingSuccess.com

Freelance Writing Success in a Box. Essential reading for freelance copywriters who want to get better organized, find more clients and make more money.