Award-winning journalist and freelance copywriter, Susanna K. Hutcheson, presents news, thoughts and ideas on the world of business, marketing, copywriting and much more.

Monday, 06 September 2010 11:39 am

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Saturday, November 29th

New AP Stylebook Updates - Two New Entries In AP StyleBook - Also Dell Coupons

This is sort of of catch-up post. I got notice of two new updates to the AP Stylebook and there's a new page on my site with Dell coupons. I've had many clients and visitors ask where they could get them so I put some on my site.

Here is the first AP Stylebook update:

Editor's Note: An entry on credit default swaps has been added to say the term is a form of insurance that promises payment to investors in mortgage securities and other bonds if the borrower defaults.

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credit default swaps

A form of insurance that promises payment to investors in mortgage securities and other bonds if the borrower defaults. The market is unregulated, prone to sloppy documentation and has no central clearinghouse.

. . . and the second one

Editor's Note: An entry on collateralized debt obligations has been added to say the term refers to debt that is pooled, sliced up and resold to investors.

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collateralized debt obligations

Debt, including bonds or mortgages, that is pooled, sliced up and resold to investors.

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Dell coupons and promo codes
Susanna on 11.29.08 @ 07:31 AM CDT [link]

Wednesday, November 26th

It's a Great Time To Be a Copywriter.

I always plan to take off from work the last two or three months of the year. Why? It's a very slow time in my business. I've never been sure why. But, since it is, I just plan for it and enjoy my time off.

With the recession/Depression of epic proportions upon us, I expected an even longer time off. Well, I was wrong. I've not had time to take even a few days in a row off.

I hear all these stories about people being laid off. And they're very real, very heart breaking stories and they're true. Major layoffs are everywhere and the unemployment rate is high and probably going to get higher.

So why is that good for the copywriting business? Simply put, people who lose their jobs can't find work. So they turn to the Internet in the hope they can build an online business that will support them.

The first thing they're going to need is someone who can put the right words on their Web site and in their marketing materials. Even people who never have been in business for themselves before, quickly discover the importance of being able to compete. And, to do that, they discover it's all in the message.

So this can and should be a win-win situation. We copywriters win by having lots of great clients. The clients win by learning the great feeling of having their own profitable online business and not having to depend on an employer anymore.

While there's no denying that the economy affects us all, we copywriters are in a great position right now. If we're good and know how to help our clients become successful, our value will not diminish. In fact, it will only grow as more and more people begin to see the value of a professional marketing expert.

I'm not glad the economy is in the situation it's in. But let's all look at it as an opportunity. In fact, that's what it is.

Businessman Robert Bosch said, "I don't pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages." When people hire a copywriter, it would pay them to keep that in mind.

Susanna on 11.26.08 @ 11:32 AM CDT [link]

Sunday, November 23rd

When The Prospective Client Says You Charge Too Much

Probably one of the most common and most frustrating issues we copywriters have is the many prospective clients who don't feel our services are worth what we charge.

While about 10% of the people who contact most of us are professional business people and know to expect the sort of fees we charge and who know the value of our service, the other 90% haven't got a clue.

For example, just the other day I quoted a job for a short outgoing telemarketing broadcast script. Granted, the script was to be just 45 seconds. But, we all know it takes more effort to write a great sales message in a few words than a few thousand.

"I didn't expect to pay so much because it's so short," he says.

So, what do you say to a person who gives you this objection? You tell him the simple truth. Here what I told this man.

"I understand how you feel. Most people who contact me are not prepared for the fees a professional copywriter charges. But I don't charge by the word, page or hour. You don't pay for the amount of words, pages or hours. You pay for SALES. And that's what I give you."

Let's take slogans for example. A slogan is from one word to perhaps seven. Do you think Nike paid $5.00 per word for the words, "Just Do It"? I don't think so. In fact, those three words are invaluable to Nike. And no doubt Nike paid a tremendous amount of money for those three words.

Today, the eight-letter phrase is among the two or three slogans rated most memorable in advertising history, and Nike is the world's largest sporting goods maker.

Nike pays millions of dollars for advertising. These few words made Nike the brand that beat out Reebok. And it's been the leader since.

So, when your clients say, "You charge too much," you tell them the Nike story. No one in his right mind can deny the value of just a few words --- not if they're the right few words.

Tech Tags: copywriter, copywriting, Nike, advertising, marketing, writing, sales, selling, clients, customers, ad agency

Susanna on 11.23.08 @ 05:26 PM CDT [link]

Friday, November 21st

Getting High Search Engine Ranking With RSS Topic of Top Marketing Show

RSS is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it. This week's Susanna Hutcheson Power Marketing podcast discusses using the format. The show was just put online today.

With RSS, your content changes regularly and search engines love that. It brings new people to your site all the time too. I have a site that is pure RSS and it gets lots of traffic.It's Hutcheson Report.

An RSS feed is updated frequently. So your page constantly changes. It’s always fresh and new --- never stale. Hutchesonreport.com changes minute by minute and I even have the page refreshed every few minutes.

RSS feeds get spidered more frequently than static pages. That means that your entire site is likely to be spidered a lot. That almost guarantees you a high ranking. And, any new pages you add will be picked up faster.

You can listen to the show at the podcast page or subscribe to it right here on this page.

Tech Tags: podcast, marketing, advertising, copywriter, copywriting, sales, selling, rss, rss feed, search engine optimize, seo

Susanna on 11.21.08 @ 07:04 AM CDT [link]

Thursday, November 20th

New AP Stylebook Update

Well, you sports fans are gonna' love this one. The AP (Associated Press) just updated the Stylebook. Here it is exactly as I got it.

Editor's Note: An entry on knuckleball has been added to the Sports section to note that it is one word.

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knuckleball

One word is an exception to Webster's New World College Dictionary.

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Tech Tags: associated press, AP, sports, sports fan, writers, writing, copywriter, copywriting, updates

Susanna on 11.20.08 @ 01:38 PM CDT [link]

Tuesday, November 18th

Update to AP (Associated Press) Stylebook

The following update just came out from The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook.

Editor's Note: An entry on currency conversions has been added to say that conversions are necessary in stories that use non-U.S. currency to make clear for readers how a number translates into dollars. Conversions should be used sparingly and preferably not in the lead unless it's a significant part of the story.

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currency conversions

Currency conversions are necessary in stories that use non-U.S. currency to make clear for readers how a number translates into dollars. But conversions should be used sparingly and preferably not in the lead unless it's a significant part of a story. A conversion is generally needed only the first time a currency is mentioned. The reader can make the necessary conversions after that.

Do not convert amounts that are not current because exchange rates change over time.
When conversions are needed, use the $ sign to report U.S. dollar amounts and the â‚¬ sign for euros.

Examples:
LONDON (AP) - BT Group PLC, Britain's largest phone company, on Thursday reported quarterly earnings rose 18 percent but said it would slash 6,000 more jobs by March to keep costs down and maintain its profits.

Net profit for the three months to Sept. 30 was 400 million pounds ($595 million), compared with 339 million pounds a year earlier, when profits were hit by a 232 million-pound one-time restructuring charge. Restructuring charges this year were 72 percent lower at just 65 million pounds.

PARIS (AP) - Airbus parent company EADS said Friday it rebounded to a profit in the third quarter thanks to lower costs for restructuring and fewer delays to aircraft programs. But it warned that continued setbacks in production of its military transporter will make achieving its full-year target challenging.

European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV made a net profit of â‚¬679 million ($850 million) in the July-September period, compared with a â‚¬776 million loss a year ago.

For all other currencies, following the amount, spell out the name of the currency followed in parentheses by the equivalent in U.S. dollars. Japan approved a 1.8 trillion yen ($18 billion) extra budget to partially finance an economic stimulus package.

When dealing with a dollar currency of a country other than the United States, use the following abbreviations before the amount on second and subsequent references:

AU$ Australian dollars
CA$ Canadian dollars
SG$ Singapore dollars
NZ$ New Zealand dollars
HK$ Hong Kong dollars
NT$ New Taiwan dollars
ZW$ Zimbabwe dollars

Treasurer Wayne Swan approved a 16 billion Australian dollar ($10.74 billion) deal. Swan said AU$8 billion would be reserved for capital expenditure.
Susanna on 11.18.08 @ 05:14 PM CDT [link]

Monday, November 17th

A Press Release a Day Keeps the Wolf At Bay.

I'll bet you worry a lot about getting new business. Am I right? Well, it's a bugaboo no more --- my press release rule can make you money. Here's why. When I got into advertising back in the golden olden days of advertising and journalism, you only sent a press release when you had something really BIG to say --- when something MAJOR happened in your company or business.

Well --- it's a new world. You don't need the old media. You don't need the old rules. Here's what you do. You send a press release out daily or every few days. You've gotta' be doing something really cool so tell folks about it. And if you're not doing something pretty cool, you better get in gear.

Well-placed regular press releases are cheap advertising and --- they work! You'll get lots of hits and new customers or clients. In the world of Web 2.0, you've got to think differently. You've got to drive you own vehicle. You must interact with people.

The days of hype and spin are over. It's time to socialize and interact. It's time to tell the world about what you're doing. Get them interested in you without all the hard sell and hype. Get them to thinking about your product or service.

Press releases are picked up by blogs, by online services and even the old media. You never know how far a press release will go and what sort of value it will bring you.

Don't try to talk to everyone. You just want to talk to your niche. They make up your customer base, after all.

Start cranking out those press releases.
Susanna on 11.17.08 @ 08:55 PM CDT [link]

Friday, November 14th

New Podcast Episode Just Out - How To Grow Your Business With Articles

Today's show just hit the airwaves.

This week we discuss how you can become an expert in your field in the eyes of prospects. Writing helpful articles for online distribution gets you a loyal following. Your name gets around. You are mentioned in forums and in blogs. And, you get lots of links to your Web site. That gives you a higher Google ranking. I tell you how I used article writing to do all of this and more. And, how you can too.

Go to the Podcast page to listen and subscribe to the show. Or, if you prefer, listen to it here:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Susanna on 11.14.08 @ 06:39 AM CDT [link]

Wednesday, November 12th

Important AP Stylebook Update

Please put the following AP Stylebook update in your copy of the book. It just came out today.

Editor's Note: The entry on president has been changed to say that the first and family name should be used on first reference to a current or former U.S. president or president-elect.

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president

Capitalize president only as a formal title before one or more names: President Ronald Reagan, Presidents Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter.
Lowercase in all other uses: The president said today. He is running for president. Lincoln was president during the Civil War.

See titles.

FULL NAMES: Use the first and family name on first reference to a current or former U.S. president or the president-elect: former President Jimmy Carter, President George W. Bush, President-elect Barack Obama. On subsequent references, use only the last name.

For presidents of other nations and of organizations and institutions, capitalize president as a formal title before a full name: President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, President John Smith of Acme Corp.
On second reference, use only the last name.

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Susanna on 11.12.08 @ 05:57 PM CDT [link]

Tuesday, November 11th

A Fun Way To Make Extra Money

Are you an expert looking for a way to earn some extra income? Lots of people are finding their businesses drying up a bit. Well, there's no reason it should. There's still money out there. People have money. They're just scared. They're fearful of letting go, of risking. Most people have a hard time knowing that it's smart to invest when others are pulling back. Notice how Warren Buffett is buying now while others are cowing in the corner and selling.

Well, you can make some extra money by selling your service on Skype. Skype has a program called Skype Prime Beta. It allows you to charge up to $2.50 per minute for consulting with people over the great Skype service.

First thing you need to do is download Skype. It's free. And, the service is free too.

Then, click on "Account" and then "Skype Prime Service" and you can take about five minutes to set your service up.

Be sure to have a PayPal account. That's how you're paid.

If you are an expert in some field and you'd like to pull in some extra income, this is a great way. Give it a try.
Susanna on 11.11.08 @ 08:57 AM CDT [link]

Saturday, November 8th

New Podcast for People Who Want To Increase Their Sales

I've launched a new podcast and already have three episodes in the can. The podcast is called The Susanna Hutcheson Power Marketing Show and is produced every Friday. Following is a list of the currently available episodes and show notes. I'd love to have you listen to them and subscribe so you'll be among the first to hear each new episode.

Also, please visit our podcast page and click the "survey" button. Tell us what you think of the show. It will help us a lot.

Susanna on 11.08.08 @ 09:15 PM CDT [link]

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