nick usborne's blog

A total upgrade for my primary business website, nickusborne.com.

nickusborne.com has been up for almost ten years now, and this is the third major re-design.

But this is the first time I have departed entirely from the original purpose of the site – which was to promote my services as an online copywriter, consultant and speaker.

A great deal has changed over the last decade, including my basic business model and my longer-term goals.

If you have a moment, take a peek at the new site and let me know what you think. It’s still a work in progress, and I have a lot of articles to add over the next little while.

Also, if you are a freelancer, or have any kind of business website of your own, you might want to pause and think about whether your own website is due for an update.

Here are three reasons your website might need attention:

1. If the goals for your business have changed significantly.

2. If the focus of your products or services has changed significantly.

3. If the look and feel of your website has become “old”. Yes, website design goes through fashion cycles. Also, the availability of larger monitors has driven a shift away from narrow websites.

Nothing stands still online, and you need to make sure your website is still supporting your strategy, and pointing clearly in the direction of your goal.

Check it out...nickusborne.com

Further confirmation that you should seriously upgrade your online copywriting skills.

Numerous studies and surveys this year have shown that marketing budgets are moving away from print, radio and broadcast – and into online media.

In an article published by MediaPost this morning, the figures reported are confirming the same trend.

Here is a portion of that article:

“A regional survey of 8,500 senior advertising, marketing and media executives by Round2 Communications found that 72% predict they will increase their spending on digital media in the coming year. Justifying this apportionment, 33.9% said ROI for new media is "somewhat" better than traditional, and 28.2% said new media's ROI is "significantly" better.

Along with the good news for digital media, the survey (which focused on executives from companies headquartered in the Western U.S.) delivered some bad news for traditional: 86% of the respondents say they expect their spending on traditional media -- including broadcast TV and radio and print newspapers and magazines -- to remain even (45.7%) or decline (40.3%) in 2010.”

If you are a freelance writer or copywriter, you need to take notice of these figures. You can’t expect offline media alone to support the growth of your business over the next few years.

Sure, there will always be a demand for print and broadcast copywriters. But the demand is shrinking fast, and the competition will heat up.

If you haven’t done so already, you need to develop your online copywriting skills. And I don’t just mean you should learn about writing single page sales letters online. The real demand right now is for skilled copywriters who understand the full complexity of online media and can write any kind of web page, in addition to email and e-newsletters.

The faster that marketing budgets move online, the greater the opportunity for freelancers who can offer a full range of online copywriting skills.

As far as I know, my online copywriting course is currently the only course of its kind, providing professional-grade instruction on all aspects of writing and copywriting for the web.

Learn more about my course, Copywriting 2.0...

5 ways to increase your productivity as a writer.

Of everything I have had published, one of the biggest sellers has been a rather short guide, just 45 pages, called Writing Rituals.

Why the popularity? Probably because as writers we all know there are days, if not weeks, when we are not nearly as productive as we would like.

If we are freelance writers or copywriters, those periods of low productivity quickly turn into periods of low income.

In short, if you write for a living, you need to be productive every day.

A lucky few seem to have been born with the ability to be madly productive without any extra effort. But most of us require some help. We use to-do lists, scheduling applications and any other tool we can use to stay organized, on track and focused.

Writing Rituals, while addressing the use of such tools, also applies the power of rituals. Not habit, but rituals.

The guide takes you through a sequence of five rituals which, when applied, will almost certainly help you not only maintain a higher and consistent level of productivity, but will also help you improve the quality of your writing.

As always, the guide is available through the Writing Rituals website, along with a couple of bonuses.

As of this week, you can also buy it, at a lower price, without the bonuses, at Booklocker.com.

Not Me Mondays: Bob Bly.

If you are freelance writer or copywriter and are looking for a role model, I can’t think of a better choice than Bob Bly.

But be warned: if you want to be like Bob, you’re going to have to work very, very hard.

He has been writing for a living since...I don’t even know...but I’m thinking some time soon after the end of the Crimean war.

Over the course of his career he has written copy for over a hundred different companies. When see the full list ion his website, it is quite dizzying.

And he is no slouch in the publicity department either. He has been on TV and radio shows including MoneyTalk 1350, The Advertising Show, Bernard Meltzer, Bill Bresnan, CNBC, Winning in Business, The Small Business Advocate and CBS Hard Copy.

He has also been featured and/or quoted in major media ranging from the LA Times and Nation's Business, to the New York Post and the National Enquirer.

Take note, aspiring freelancers: he works as hard on his marketing as he does on his writing.

Think he’s busy with all that?

In addition to his copywriting work, Bob has also written over 70 books. While most are about writing, copywriting and marketing, one of his titles - and I’m not even sure he would want me to tell you this - is on the subject of hot dogs..

On top of all this, he is a really nice guy. Not at all one of those, “I’m rich and better than you in every way” people.

You can learn more about Bob at Bly.com.

Not Me Mondays: Michel Fortin

I’m going to give something a try. Each Monday, for a while at least, I’m going to write about a fellow writer, copywriter, coach or marketer. I’ll stick to the people I know and respect.

Why? For a couple of reasons. One, to give back a little. I think I do OK giving back to people who read my writing and purchase my products. But I don’t do so well when it comes to recognizing my own colleagues and peers.

Also, I hope to serve as a filter. If you read me because you trust me...then consider these Monday posts as a thumbs-up for other people you may want to deal with.

There will be no particular rhyme or reason in the order in which I write these posts. So don’t read anything into my choice for this first post in the series, Michel Fortin.

True, he is a fellow Canadian, and he lives only a few hours from my own home, although we have never met face to face.

And, like me, he is a long-time copywriter.

I have a few years on him when it comes to copywriting, and experience as an online copywriter. But he has achieved a lot more than me in the area of delivering products and services to other copywriters and online marketers.

While there are a ton of people who produce a veritable flood of courses and programs, I have picked Michel for one particular reason.

Like me, he believes you can sell hard without resorting to hype, deception and manipulation.

That’s a big issue for me in marketing online, and always has been.

But Michel, and his wife Sylvie, are way ahead when it comes to articulating and sharing that message.

I also respect the fact that when you go to his site, it isn’t all about selling his own products and services. He takes the time both to state his position on various issues, and give away a ton of useful information.

You’ll find Michel at MichelFortin.com

Sign up for Copywriting Success Summit 2009

In a few weeks Michael Stelzner is hosting his second Copywriting Success Summit, and I'm one of the presenters.

This is an online conference, with a very impressive line-up of speakers, and takes place live over the course of a few days. (Recorded too, so you can watch the presentations you are unable to see live.)

Copywriting Success Summit 2009 is the largest online event dedicated to helping writers and copywriters generate better-quality leads, win higher-caliber clients and earn more. 

In addition to myself, presenters include bestselling authors and copywriting experts such as Peter Bowerman (Well-Fed Writer author), Steve Slaunwhite (Start & Run a Copywriting Business author), Michael Stelzner (Writing White Papers author), Marcia Yudkin (Persuading on Paper author), Chris Garrett (Problogger author), Casey Hibbard (Stories That Sell author), Chris Marlow (the original copywriter's coach), Pete Savage and Ed Gandia.

Here are some of the sessions:

* Write Marketing: How to Attract Opportunity by Shining the Spotlight on Others

* Using Social Media to Grow Your Writing Business

* Maximizing the Income Potential of Your Freelance Writing Business (** This is the session I will be doing.)

* How to Turn More Prospects Into Clients

* How to Win Copywriting Clients With Direct Marketing

* Painlessly Mastering the Process of Prospecting

* How to Get Customers Coming Back for More

* Attracting Prospects With Blogging

* The Faster, Safer Way to Make the Leap to a Full-Time Copywriting Business

If you have a freelance business, or plan to start one soon, this will be an excellent way to soak up the expertise of a very experienced group of freelance professionals.

At last year's summit, 98 percent of attendees said they'd recommend the event to a friend AND attend again.

Register now and you’ll save $200 with the earlybird discount.

Learn more and register here...

Should you work as a direct mail copywriter or an online copywriter?

To help you make the right decision, consider this:

The Washington Post reported recently that “In the past year alone, the Postal Service has seen the single largest drop-off in mail volume in its 234-year history…. That downward trend is only accelerating. The Postal Service projects a decline of about 10 billion pieces of mail in each of the next two years, going from a high of 213 billion pieces of mail in 2006 to 170 billion projected for 2010.”

Get the picture? Direct mail is dying. Many people will tell you this isn’t the case, but it is. The numbers don’t lie.

Combine the figures above with the news that $65 BILLION in marketing dollars have moved online this year alone and you should get a pretty clear picture of where you should focus your energies and attention.

Of course, becoming a sought-after online copywriter means you need to get some training. You need to know what you are doing and deliver impressive results for your clients.

That’s why I wrote my course, Nick Usborne’s Million Dollar Secrets to Online Copywriting.

This course will take you precisely to where the money is. Companies large and small are desperate to find qualified copywriters who can help them improve the performance of their websites.

This course gives you all the knowledge you need when approaching your prospects.

U.S. Companies are moving $65 Billion advertising dollars online.

Not Millions, but Billions.

To put that into context, listen to what Anthea Stratigos of Outsell Inc. said in a recent interview in Forbes Magazine. "To scale that, compare the total U.S. TV and cable advertising revenue for 2009, which is about $66 billion. The marketing dollars companies now spend on their own sites is equivalent to all TV ad revenue for the year."

Pause and think about that. $65 BILLION  that is no longer going to be spent on traditional media, but is going to be spent on online advertising and company websites.

How will that money be used? Anthea predicts, “Page content, Web analytics, search engine optimization and site design. Most of them have invested in social networking platforms to create direct dialogues with their consumers.”

So here is my question for you.

Do you plan to invest your career as a copywriter on writing for traditional media, or for online media?

Do you plan to build your future as a traditional copywriter or an online copywriter?

Keep in mind that the figure of $65 Billion is not a projection for the next five or ten years. It’s the amount of marketing and advertising money moving from TV and print to the web THIS year.

For some time I have been advocating that copywriters urgently need to upgrade their skills and get into the business of being an online copywriter.

For those who haven’t believed me, maybe you’ll believe all those billions of dollars.

If you are ready to take the plunge and take your share of that $65 Billion shift, be sure to check out my online copywriting course.

Some free guides to writing for the web, and other related topics...

A couple of years back I experimented with writing some short guides to writing for the web, and then selling them for a few dollars each.

I never did sell many copies, but I think the guides are useful.

My plan B is to make them available free.

The ones I have uploaded so far are now on my Scribd page. More to follow soon.

What is the difference between my two writing courses?

Good question. This was asked and answered, albeit briefly, within the comments thread of a previous post. But I though it worth bringing this topic to the “front page” and expanding on my answer.

Over the last two years I have written two difference courses, both of which focus on writing for the web.

The first one off the presses was Nick Usborne’s Million Dollar Secrets to Online Copywriting.

I wrote this course for anyone who wants to make a career of online copywriting. It covers just about every aspect of the online copywriter’s job, from writing home pages, content pages, sales pages, email, e-newsletters and more.

This is the course you want if you are thinking, “I want to make money selling my services as a professional online copywriter.” If you are a freelancer, you’ll be writing online copy for your clients. If you get a job, you’ll be writing online copy for your employer.

Either way, this course gives you the knowledge and tools to sell your services as an online copywriter.

My most recent program is How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites.

This program is not designed for use “in the workplace”. This is a course for anyone who likes the idea of creating a new stream of income by writing a website on a topic that interests them. You’ll be doing this at home, for yourself, probably part time.

You won’t have clients. You won’t be invoicing for the hours your work or charging anyone a project fee.

The time you spend writing your website is sweat equity. You’ll get your rewards when you start attracting traffic to your site and those visitors start clicking on money-making links on your pages.

I hope I have cleared up any confusion.

Get Nick Usborne’s Million Dollar Secrets to Online Copywriting if you want to charge clients for online copywriting services.

Get How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites if you want to sit at home and create a website of your own as a source of long-term residual income.