I’ll admit it. I’m intrigued by the idea that tons of people might read my blog on their little portable Kindle devices, now that Amazon.com generously offers to publish blogs (for free!). It’s a potent thought to consider how many new readers and untapped sources of potential income might just be waiting for a blog like mine. I feel like I’m channeling my inner Homer Simpson when I think about it – “MMMMMMM. Blog Readers.” (You know, instead of donuts.)

How you might feel after reading this post.

But it’s just like Amazon to make something incredibly seductive and yummy, only to put a few well-placed shards of glass right where you’ll take a big bite.

According to Internet attorney Mike Young, Amazon has included language in its Terms of Service agreement that gives it complete control over your blog content once you publish it on Kindle.

Whoa Nelly!

Really? Amazon thinks it can take a blogger’s hard work and use it, edit it and publish it without attribution or payment to the author? Apparently so. And if you’ve put your blog on Kindle, you may have unknowingly agreed to this.

I’m not an alarmist by nature, but this is something to sit up and take notice of. Remember, this is your intellectual property you’re giving away. As Mike states in this blog post, “If you’re running a non-profit blog where you’re looking for donors for your favorite charity, this could be a good fit because more readers equals more potential donors. However, if your blog is part of your business model, giving Amazon permission to . . . become your competitor using your own content may not make the most sense.”

Good point. Do you really want to compete with Amazon as they use your own words as weapons against you?

I may not be an alarmist, but I am pragmatic. If this is true, I wanted to read it for myself. So I emailed Mike and received a nice response from his assistant Jennifer, along with this link: https://kindlepublishing.amazon.com/vendor/members/kindle-blogs/static/terms-and-conditions.html with the instruction to pay particular attention to the “Grant of Rights” area. Here’s the part that got me:

5.5 Grant of Rights. You hereby grant to each Amazon party, throughout the term of this Agreement, a nonexclusive, worldwide right and license to distribute Publications as described herein, directly and through third-party distributors, in all digital formats by all digital distribution means available, such right to include, without limitation, the right to: (e) use, reproduce, adapt, modify, and create derivative works of and use and distribute, as we determine appropriate, in our sole discretion, any metadata that you provide in connection with Publications;

So, based on this, you publish your blog with Amazon at the risk of seeing your intellectual property elsewhere without your permission, any attribution and any recourse. I’m not certain that’s worth the risk to my business or my reputation.

The lesson for all of us is twofold:

1. Be sure to read and understand the Terms of Service of any agreement (online or otherwise) you decide to enter into.
2. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I think I’ll wait to put my blog on Kindle. Until blog owners take a stand and confront such blatant thievery, Amazon will continue to do as it pleases with tacit agreement from the blogging community. If this means my blog isn’t exposed as much as it could be, I’m okay with that.

I’d also like to put a plug in for Mike Young (and I get nothing from this except warm fuzzies knowing I’m passing along a credible resource). Mike spends his days mucking around the Internet and championing for individuals and businesses that do business there. You can learn more about him at his website: http://mikeyounglaw.com/internet-lawyer/.

We each have our own special talents, skills and experiences that set us apart from everyone else. While people may be similar, no one will have exactly the same qualifications or story that another has. This is the whole point of developing your own USP – Unique Selling Proposition. (“But Lis, I don’t sell!”) Yes you do. Every time you bid on a potential project, every meeting you have while networking, every time you write a blog post, you’re selling. If you target your selling from the standpoint of your USP (and your VSP – Value Selling Proposition), you stand a much greater chance of standing out from the crowd and getting noticed. What I’m proposing is different than what you’ll see on many networking and other business blogs. There you’ll read that a USP should be one sentence and be directly about your company. That’s fine – we’ll get to that with the VSP. I propose (and I learned this from Chris Marlow, 20+ year copywriting veteran and a mentor of mine) that your USP is really just for you and should be the basis for your VSP. This means, you USP can be longer than a sentence. In fact, it should be. But it’s just for you, no one else. But you can’t do this if you don’t have a clue as to what makes you unique. Since many writers are solopreneurs, we are our brand. I discussed this point at length in this post. While we may have a company name and logo, what people will remember is us. So, when developing your USP, you’ll want to consider the experiences and knowledge gained that have made you who you are today:

• Where did I grow up?
• What early life experiences affected me?
• What jobs did I hold?
• Where did I go to college?
• What was my major/minor?
• What adult life events have changed me?

While these questions go outside the lines of the traditional USP, there is a reason behind it. All of our experiences, good, bad, happy, sad, mold and shape us into who we are. It’s hard to escape our past, because it informs our present and future. These are things to simply note for yourself, personally, these aren’t things that will necessarily be part of your USP. Next, consider these questions:

• What have I always been good at?
• What topics am I drawn to?
• What do I love to read or study up on?
• What have people always complimented me on?
• What comes naturally to me?
• What would I do, if money were no object?
• What do I love to do?

If you sincerely answer these questions, you’ll now have more than enough material to work with to craft a USP. When I wrote out my USP, I first considered the areas I love to learn/write about:  health and wellness, fitness, home improvement and animals. I can write just about anything, but these topics get me excited. How I settled on a niche to write within was directly linked to these passions. I settled on health and wellness because I was born with severe allergies and asthma. This meant a very limited life. My mom was diagnosed with MS right after I was born, so she had her own health challenges to manage. She chose the alternative health route to help us both. So, I was reading Prevention Magazine at six-years-old and began visiting a chiropractor and having acupuncture treatments at age 7. This was back in the late ’60′s, early 70′s – when these things were “new” to the mainstream. Fast forward to my corporate days – I was in sales and marketing working with Fortune 100 companies as well as small businesses. I was good at what I did, which was listen to client needs and create workable, affordable, successful solutions to their marketing research needs. I’ve also owned more than one small business since 2001. When I considered the above experiences, plus others I’ve not mentioned, I came up with this USP for me:

Why hire Lisbeth Tanz?

Because she’s living proof that the alternative health and supplements industry works. As a child suffering from debilitating asthma and allergies, Lisbeth was exposed to a variety of alternative therapies and supplements designed to mitigate the effects of her ailments. With her mother’s perseverance, who herself had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Lisbeth slowly transformed from an unhealthy child living a restricted life tied to medications, to a healthy adult embracing a life of fun and adventure with little to hold her back. Using her personal experience and her years in corporate sales to Fortune 100 companies, Lisbeth has honed “the art of conversation” and the ability to “listen between the lines.” These abilities have enabled her to be top in her sales field – skills she transferred easily to the written word. Lisbeth’s talent for framing people’s needs as they see them helps her connect with her audience in an intimate and personal way, which ensures the client a healthy ROI, shorter sales cycles and increased profits.

I’m not sharing this to toot my own horn, I’m hoping to illustrate that with a bit of time and consideration, you can also create your own USP that will show you how your unique talents, skills, experience and knowledge make you the best writer for your particular niche or passion. Once you have this information, it’s easy to translate it into a VSP. Which I’ll discuss in another post.

When you work in the corporate world, there are certain”rules” that apply to how you dress, act, manage and work within your group and company as a whole. But when you leave the corporate life (or were never in it to begin with), it’s easy to rebel against a corporate mindset and relax our standards of excellence regarding our personal brand.

Your personal brand is not simply the logo on your website or the copy underneath. Your personal brand is the way you act, speak and dress. It’s how you do business with others. Your personal brand is the face the general public and your clients see, hear and mingle with. Your personal brand is their experience.

Are you taking care to protect your personal brand? Are you projecting yourself as a competent business person? Believe it or not, your success lies in how well you do this.

Here are four ways you can ensure you’re protecting your personal brand:

• Under-promise and Over-deliver:  It’s always better to work with less and deliver more. Not only does this show your value, it gives your client something to be delighted about. Think about it. You like getting bonuses when you buy something, right? So do your clients. Surprise and delight. This will do wonders for your personal brand and create brand champions of your clients.
• Dress the Part:  I’ll admit – as a freelance writer, I’m often spotted walking my dog in the neighborhood in a T-shirt and sweats in the afternoon. I also love to wear jeans. But if I’m going to a networking event or a client’s office, I always gauge how I look as part of the equation. There’s still that expectation that I’ll look professional. Does that mean $300 suits? No. Personally, a nice pair of slacks and blouse or shirt work well for me.
• Be professional in your communications:  It’s one thing to dash off an email to your sister. It’s another to do the same to a client and have it littered with typos or misspellings. Especially if you’re a writer or editor. It only takes a few seconds to scan what you’ve written to make sure there are no mistakes. Although the perfectionist in me will read it a second time just to be sure. It’s also a good idea to check the email address you’re sending it to, especially if it’s a forward or reply. I once sent off a reply message that wasn’t too complimentary to one of the people referenced in the original email. Unfortunately, I mistakenly sent it to the person I was criticizing. While it turned out fine, that was not a fun lesson to learn. A couple of other communication points:  If you’re on the phone, don’t grunt responses. Show a little life in your voice. And in person, smile, be attentive and focused.
• Be a real person:  In other words, don’t be selling 24/7. Get to know the people you’re talking with. Yes, this even applies to networking events. People like to be talked with, not sold to (at least not until they’re ready to hear a pitch). Hard sells don’t work and will turn people away from you and your brand. This point doesn’t mean, however, to share your marital woes, financial distress or other personal information. That would be too real.
  

Remember, if you’re a solopreneur or small business owner, you are your brand. There’s no way to escape that. Which means, it’s yours to enhance – or to lose.

What other ways can you think of to protect your personal brand?

Have you had an experience where you inadvertently dinged your personal brand?

I’ve been away from this blog for about 3 weeks (YIKES), and I feel terribly guilty. My business has exploded (YIPPEE), but that means something had to give (NUTS). Unfortunately, since I write for a living, my blog suffered the consequences.

And YOU noticed. That I was gone at least. Thank you.

Well, now I’m back. From Outer Space. I just walked in to… Oh wait. I’m channeling my inner Gloria Gaynor.

So if you I asked you to name the tone of this particular blog post, what would you say? Light, humorous? Apologetic? Upbeat? You’d be right on all counts. Those are what I try to convey in this blog (mostly). It’s called “Tone.”

Tone, as defined by dictionary.com, is:

• a particular style or manner, as of writing or speech; mood: the macabre tone of Poe’s stories.
• prevailing character or style, as of manners, morals, or philosophical outlook: the liberal tone of the 1960′s.
• style, distinction, or elegance.

A consistent tone throughout your blog helps define who you are and how people will feel when they read it. If your tone is serious, this will evoke certain feelings in readers. If your tone is humorous, people will come to expect that when they visit. When you step away from the tone (or tones) you typically write in, your readers will notice. And not always in a good way. I mean, can you imagine what would have happened if Erma Bombeck, my favorite humor writer, had suddenly started writing dirges? (Shiver)

Sometimes, when I sit down to write a post, I realize my head’s not in the game. Maybe I’m distracted by other things I need to do, maybe I’m not inspired by the topic I’ve chosen, maybe I simply don’t want to write, but feel I have to. If any of these are the case, I stop trying to write because I know the words I want won’t come. (The same is true for client work. If my head’s not in the right space, if I can’t connect with my subject matter, it’s futile to sit at my computer.)

So -

Rule #1 – Make sure your head is in the right place. If it’s not, get it there or don’t post. While one “off” post won’t chase away readers, why take a chance on damaging your reputation, especially if your mood is a bad one? Go clear your head – whatever that means for you. For me, it means doing something completely different, like working with my hands. That could mean washing dishes, working in the garden, fixing the doorbell, sorting laundry. It’s the things I can do to bring myself to a different place mentally. Usually, it doesn’t take long for me to be able to sit down at my computer again and begin to write. But this time with the tone I want and need.

Rule #2 – Stop oiling the squeaky wheel. If you ignored Rule #1 and wrote a post anyway, put it aside. Don’t post it yet. Go away and then come back and re-read it. It’s likely you’ll want to revise it, once you’ve accomplished Rule #1. But what if you try to revise it and nothing seems to work? If that’s the case, you might simply need to scrap it and start over. (GASP) Yes, I did say start over. It won’t kill you to do this. You can always pick the bones of the first post’s carcass and use them in the new post. It’s better to start over than try to fix something that can’t be fixed, no matter how well written it may be.

A note from Lis:  Tag lines can cause stress, anxiety and angst for new business owners who believe (mistakenly) that they have to have the “perfect” snappy line at the start of their business. What many fail to understand is that tag lines can – and should – be modified as the business grows and changes.

Another misconception is what I call the “cute” factor. Your tag line should be memorable, but, just like television commercials, not so memorable that the person can’t see the brand (You) behind it.

Today’s post is written by Suzanne Wesley, who posted last month about logos. In this post, she gives real, concrete ways to create your first tag line with the emphasis on its relevancy to your business. (Here’s a hint:  You need to have a good handle on your value to your client. Without this understanding, you may have difficulty framing a useful tag line.) Enjoy!

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Last month I covered how having a professional logo could make you more memorable, and save you time explaining yourself during a first meeting with a prospective client or editor. This month, I’d like to add one more promotional element to your writing arsenal that can also assist you in promoting your writing – the tag line. Tag lines are also referred to as a slogan, and are usually a phrase, of up to seven words, that is catchy and ties in directly to the first snap-shot impression you want someone to have of you and your writing style.

Tip: This is not to be confused with your elevator pitch – which is a short, 30-second description of you, what you write, and what makes you unique from other writers.

Most of us are familiar with product tag lines, such as: Nike – ‘Just Do It,’ Bounty – ‘The Quicker Picker-Upper,’ M&Ms – ‘Melts in Your Mouth Not in Your Hands’ . . . and oh-so-many more. These companies have been using the same tag-line to promote the same product for many years. For businesses and individuals it is much more common that you will change your slogan or tag line about every two years to match up with any change in direction you may be taking.  After all, if you happen to be a prolific writer, you are hopeful that the novel you are working on now will be published within two years and you will then be moving on to writing and promoting your next writing adventure! Watch for slogans everywhere you shop, or even in your kitchen cabinets. Analyze the ones that seem the most effective, or interesting to you.

Questions that need to be addressed when creating your tag line:

1. Who will see it? Who is your customer/audience?
2. What benefit do you offer to them?
3. How do you stand out from your peers?
4. What type of emotion or feeling do you want to emit?
5. Is there any action you want someone seeing your slogan to take?

While thinking about those 5 questions write down all of the words that come to your mind. You might also want to check out what tag lines your competition is using.  Pay attention to what words they use.  Make sure that you aren’t copying a tag that someone in your field is already using.  You might find some useful words, but don’t make your tag-line TOO similar to avoid plagiarizing.

At this point, dig out your thesaurus, write down even more words to choose from and then develop a list of your favorite tag line ideas.  Look them over and apply the 5 questions above to your list. Narrow your choices down to the most effective ones and then ask willing family, friends or colleagues to chime in.  If you end up with more than one top choice – either keep tweaking the words until one is the obvious choice, or use one for a couple of years and keep the other for your next promotional campaign, to keep things fresh.

Example – My First Tag Line

Aside from my personal writing projects, I run a small business performing copy writing and graphic design projects for individuals and other businesses. I regularly work with clients that have an idea of what they want, sometimes they even have some of the writing, or even logos and photos they know they want to use, but they can’t quite put their finger on how to pull it all together and make an advertisement or brochure out of it … (or whatever the project may be).  Sometimes they don’t even know how they want to advertise themselves, they simply know they have a great product and want their potential customers to know all about it.  And my clients can be everything from another writer, to a large global company.  My slogan had to be somewhat generic to incorporate a very big potential client list.

After working on tag lines for others for years, I still found it a challenge to come up with the first one to use on my own business. Because I’m a visual thinker I eventually chose to use wrought iron and ceramic tiles as elements in my advertising and I also wanted to mimic that in my slogan.  Both wrought iron and tile are raw elements that are usually unimpressive on their own, but you can use them to make items that are beautifully intricate, and often useful too.  So my brainstormed slogan ideas reflected taking raw elements and making something whole from them.

I eventually came up with ‘Taking raw ideas … and making something beautiful!’ as my first tag line.  Hopefully, my journey to my own first tag line will inspire you to work on one of your own.  I am just starting to use it on my web site and in my advertising, and I still need to add it to my e-mail signature, business card etc.  As I slowly develop all of the elements I use to promote myself I will now include my tag-line, pictures of tile, and my logo – which includes an intricate wrought iron fence.  The more I do this, the more potential for instant recognition I will have.

Are you using a tag line?  If so, please comment and share what you are using.

Suzanne Wesley is a full-time freelance writer and graphic artist from Indiana.  She has over 13 years of experience in design and corporate communications creation. She is also the mother of two preschool-aged girls who make working out of a home office very interesting. Visit her site at www.suzannewesley.com.

We have all heard the old adage, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” I’ve often wondered about that. Do you think they said that in Rome, out of frustration, as it was being built? (As in, “I wish Rome could have been built in a day – I’m so tired of the constant construction zones and having to take my chariot through detours!” – Ah, now you’re wondering, too, aren’t you?)

Well, it wasn’t built in a day and neither will your blogging style. Good things take time to develop and not even seasoned writers can sit down to begin writing a new blog (not just a post, but launch a new blog) without having to feel around for how they want to show up in their blog.

Did you stress about what to write, how to start, how to finish and how to sound? This last part is your voice.

If you’re not being authentically YOU, how do you think people will respond to what you write? This doesn’t mean write about your latest bunion flare-up (unless your site happens to be about bunions), but it does mean share yourself with your readers.

Nobody likes an automaton. If you write in a stiff, formal way, that’s fine. . . if you’re stiff and formal. That’s what people would expect. But if you’re fun, engaging, humorous, sensitive, gentle, snarky or a smart-ass, your readers will want to see that in your writing.

Blogging is about engaging and connecting. Educating is in there, but readers want to see “behind the curtain” to who you are, too.

As you’re starting out, you may flounder a bit as to how you sound. That’s okay. We all did at one time or another.

How will you know if you’ve found it? There are two ways. (OK, there are probably more, but these count for a lot.)

1. Do a gut check. Do you agree with what you’ve written? Does it flow almost as if you’d said it versus typed it? Does it feel authentic? If you can answer these questions and your gut agrees, you’ve found it!
2. Reader comments. Are they increasing? Is your audience growing? Are people coming back? Are comments thoughtful and relevant? If any of these are true, you’re being true to you and people are resonating with that.

But here’s the kicker. It takes time and several posts to get into your groove. Just as if you were speaking in public, it takes time to find your style, tone and voice. Since this is true, experiment. Stretch yourself. Let a little bit of YOU out to see what happens.

(I love alliteration.)

Warning – long post ahead. But it’s definitely worth reading.

OK, I hadn’t planned on doing a “Part 2″ to the Why I’m Not Putting My Blog Post on Kindle . . . Yet post, but I felt some clarification was in order about exactly what you give away as a blogger by publishing on Kindle. I went back to Mike Young with my request – and I received a quick and detailed response.

Some caveats:

1. I’m not publishing on Kindle now, but that doesn’t mean I never will. I learned a long time ago never to say never. Besides, I hate being left behind.
2. Attorneys tend to err on the side of caution. That’s part of their job – to help us understand the risks we’re embarking upon wittingly or unwittingly.
3. The last post and this one are simply to inform and, perhaps, spark debate. But this will be my last word on the subject – you have to make your own decisions about the level of risk you’re willing to accept, no one can decide that for you. And, whatever you choose, that will be the perfect decision for you. As the well-respected and successful Connie Ragen Green said, “We must not be gripped with fear when it comes to publishing our intellectual property on the Internet. Successful people will continue to publish in this way, so move forward and do not allow this to be an excuse for not taking action.” She’s right. The choice is yours.

With this being said, here’s what Mike Young had to say about the Rights section specifically in the Amazon Kindle blog agreement:

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Lis,

Let me start out by saying that I’m a big fan of Amazon as both a customer and a vendor. And I do believe that Kindle blogs are ideal for nonprofits and others who don’t rely upon their proprietary blog content to generate income as part of a business model.

That being said, here’s the part of the Amazon Kindle license that does raise issues.

“Grant of Rights. You hereby grant to each Amazon party, throughout the term of this Agreement, a nonexclusive, worldwide right and license to distribute Publications as described herein, directly and through third-party distributors, in all digital formats by all digital distribution means available, such right to include, without limitation, the right to: (a) reproduce and store Publications on one or more computer facilities, and reformat, convert and encode Publications; (b) display, market, transmit, distribute, sell and otherwise digitally make available all or any portion of Publications through Amazon Properties (as defined below), for customers and prospective customers to download, access, copy and paste, print, annotate and/or view online and offline, including on portable devices; (c) permit customers to “store” Publications that they have purchased from us on servers (“Virtual Storage”) and to access and re-download such Publications from Virtual Storage from time to time both during and after the term of this Agreement; (d) display and distribute (i) your trademarks and logos in the form you provide them to us or within Publications (with such modifications as are necessary to optimize their viewing), and (ii) portions of Publications, in each case solely for the purposes of marketing, soliciting and selling Publications and related Amazon offerings; (e) use, reproduce, adapt, modify, and create derivative works of and use and distribute, as we determine appropriate, in our sole discretion, any metadata that you provide in connection with Publications; and (f) transmit, reproduce and otherwise use (or cause the reformatting, transmission, reproduction, and/or other use of) Publications as mere technological incidents to and for the limited purpose of technically enabling the foregoing (e.g., caching to enable display). In addition, you agree that we may permit our affiliates and independent contractors, and our affiliates’ independent contractors, to exercise the rights that you grant to us in this Agreement. “Amazon Properties” means the website with the primary home page identified by the URL http://www.amazon.com/, together with any successor or replacement thereto (the “Amazon Site”), and any other web site, application or online point of presence, on any platform, that is owned or operated by or under license by Amazon or co-branded with Amazon, and any web site, application, device or online point of presence through which any Amazon Properties or products available for sale thereon are syndicated, offered, merchandised, advertised or described. “

Let’s take parts of the poorly drafted license apart piece by piece.

1. “nonexclusive, worldwide right and license to distribute Publications as described herein, directly and through third-party distributors, in all digital formats by all digital distribution means available”

Mike: IIRC, this section actually used to have the word “irrevocable” in it to prevent bloggers from withdrawing their permission. Even if it is now revocable (and that’s not stated), this provision gives Amazon quite a bit of leeway with what the company can do, including giving the blog content to others to distribute.

2. “such right to include, without limitation”

Mike: This is an overly broad and vague description. Amazon is saying the license at least includes what is being listed but may in fact include more than that. How much more? Who knows?

3. “you agree that we may permit our affiliates and independent contractors, and our affiliates’ independent contractors, to exercise the rights that you grant to us in this Agreement”

Mike: So whatever undefined rights are being given to Amazon to blog content with this license, bloggers are also giving those same rights Amazon affilaites, independent contractors, and affiliates’ independent contractors. That’s quite a few people who are getting the right to do stuff with blog content without any real restrictions in place.

4. “create derivative works of and use and distribute, as we determine appropriate, in our sole discretion, any metadata”

Mike: Some people are confused by 5.5(e) that discusses Amazon’s ability to create derivative works out of metadata. By itself, this phrase isn’t of much concern. However, as seen by the other provisions I’ve mentioned in Section 5.5, this isn’t a limitation on what Amazon can do. It is instead an additional right that Amazon is specifically identifying it has.

It’s also unclear under Section 5.4 to what extent bloggers get paid royalties. For sales generated by Amazon and its affiliates, it appears there will be royalties paid to the bloggers. But what about those independent contractors mentioned in Section 5.4? If Amazon contracts with a ghost writer to create a book using blog content, where’s the compensation for the blogger?

Taken together, these raise many unresolved issues as to the scope of the blogger’s license given to Amazon. Then you add in Section 5.6 that states “You acknowledge that we have no obligation to implement technology or other limitations on copying or transfer of any Publication we distribute.”

That’s a recipe for disaster for Kindle bloggers who want to protect ownership of the unique content they create.

The only things “clear” about this license is that (a) the license is too vague and (b) it heavily favors Amazon in the specifics that it does provide.

Best wishes,

Mike

Today I’m pleased to introduce you to Suzanne Wesley. Suzanne is a full-time writer and graphic designer with years of experience. We met on the Savvy Freelance Writers Facebook fan page after she commented on a post. Her topic about logo branding is one that I think many writers overlook when starting their businesses.

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Maybe the simpler question to answer is, can a writer get by without a logo? The answer would be, yes – you certainly can. But, . . . you’ll be working much harder when making a first impression than writers who do have one (just like everyone in every other profession).

It is very cliché but there is definitely a bit of truth hidden in the saying that a picture is worth a 1,000 words. When you have only moments to make a first impression any advantage you can get is going to be helpful. A well-crafted logo can help you appear professional, organized, creative . . . or even reflect a particular writing specialty that is your niche. And a logo can do that, before they read a single word about your latest pitch!

First impressions matter.

In a world where everyone is inundated with too much information on a daily basis, we are left to hope against hope that someone will notice our writing, make the time to read it, and fall in love with it (and then champion it on our behalf to those with the power to say yes or no to its publication).

The font choices, colors used, and design style of a logo can say a lot about you – even without using the stereotypical ink pen, quill, book or typewriter that are often used symbols of the writer’s trade.

For instance, if you consider yourself a chic lit writer, are you a writer of warm and fuzzy romance, or do you go for edgier female topics and handle them with gusto? You can hint at your writing style with a feminine script font and your choice of color. A softer pink or rose for a romantic vs. a bolder red instantly make a statement about your style.

Or, maybe comedy is your writing genre of choice. A bright, and vibrant color such as orange, yellow, or shocking pink or green enhance an instant sense of fun being afoot! Add in a fun (yet readable) font and your logo has made an instant statement on your behalf – even before anyone has had the chance to meet you, or read your query or proposal.

My own logo is below. What first impression does it give to you?

Suzanne Wesley is a full-time freelance writer and graphic artist from Indiana.  She has over 13 years of experience in design and corporate communications creation. She is also the mother of two preschool-aged girls who make working out of a home office very interesting. Visit her site at www.suzannewesley.com.

There are many components to a successful website. It is, after all, your 24/7 marketing tool. It might as well market you well.

Since I’m in the process of revising my business website, I’m considering the different pieces I want to include.

My website is currently designed in iWeb – mainly because I used to work on a Mac and because it was easy. I’ve since re-adopted WordPress as my software-of-choice and that’s what my revised site will be designed in. You can see the current iteration at http://thehirepen.biz.

One thing I know I will include is at least one Case Study. I know from experience, however, that many people overlook the successful use of the Case Study to help market their freelance business.

“But Lis,” I hear you say, “isn’t that what testimonials are for?”

Yes – and no. Testimonials are a great way to have a client say nice things about you, your work style, your work ethic, etc. Basically, testimonials are wonderful for our egos and probably give a prospective client some perspective as to how you work with others.

But a case study is different. A case study demonstrates how you think, reason, plan and execute. This is important because it highlights skills that many prospective clients will be looking for. It’s important that you can create decent finished products, but it’s also important to demonstrate that you can create a plan, bring disparate pieces together to form a unified whole, think strategically and tactically and make a difference in your clients’ lives.

The last part, making a difference, is usually determined by how well your work generates leads, converts leads to sales, gets people to walk in the door, make a phone call, visit a website, stay on the website, etc.

Here’s the cool part about case studies:  If you’re new to your trade, the case study (or studies) you provide don’t need to come from your current work. Past examples of great effort work just as well. For example, one of my case studies is from my current work life. But another is from the mid-90s when I worked in marketing research sales. I’d steer you toward them on my site but they’re not there yet.

Case studies aren’t 12 pages long, either. One page will suffice, although you can write more if you want and it’s justified to tell your story. Quotes from others in the case study only increase the credibility and “wow” factor.

Here’s business building possibility to consider:  if you enjoy the case study process, you could offer to do the same thing for your clients.