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HOW TO SET YOUR FREELANCE RATES - A GUIDE FOR FREELANCERS & CONSULTANTSThere are many factors which business owners must consider on a daily basis as it relates to the running of their business. Things such as how to find good help, where to acquire supplies and how much to pay one's employees are all pertinent matters which must be addressed. There are a few ways to go about figuring out your rates when it comes to how much to charge the customers.Self-Employed Freelancers & Home-Based Businesses: Writing Effective Sales Copy for Your Small Business
© 2003 Vishal P. Rao
Whether you run a home-based business or Microsoft, one thing is always true: products do not sell themselves. So what makes customers buy? Words.
Marketing gurus learned long ago that it is the words sales people speak and ads present which are critical to the decision to buy or not to buy.
Self-Employed Freelancers, Home-Based Businesses: How can you be sure that the copy on your site, in your sales material, and in your promotions is effective for Your Small Business?
You have two choices:
1) Hire a professional copywriter
2) Do It Yourself
In order to keep expenses low, most home-based businesses prefer the second option. If you do as well, you should follow these simple guidelines:
Simple Guidelines to Write Your Small Business' Copywriting Yourself:
1) AIDA
AIDA is an acronym which stands for Attention, Internet, Desire, and Action. This is essentially an outline for how to effectively write your sales copy. First, you must grab your audience's attention by using exciting headlines, shocking statistics, or surprising facts, such as in the examples below:
"Learn the Secrets of Becoming a Millionaire"
"In less than 5 seconds, your audience has developed its first impression of you."
"Seventy-five percent of people would quit their jobs and work from home if the right opportunity arose."
Next, you need to make them interested in your product. Personal stories of success and lists of benefits can all help you do this. Near the end, you should begin working on building their desire for your product by stressing what specifically your product can do for them.
Finally, you should end all of your copy with a call to action. What this means is that you should tell the reader what they need to to do next in order to get your product: click here to order, visit our web site today, call now, etc. When you apply AIDA, you are carefully luring your audience in and guiding them towards the action you want.
2) Audience Appeals - Write Persuasive Copywriting to Change The Minds of Potential Clients for Your Freelance, Home-Based, or Small Business
All sales and marketing writing is meant to be persuasive and to change the minds of potential buyers. Most advertisers today understand this; therefore, they employ Aristotle's three audience appeals.
Aristotle, one of ancient Greece's greatest minds, identified these appeals which were being used by speakers of his time. These three appeals are ethos, logos, and pathos.
Ethos appeals are based on ethics and reputation. For example, using celebrity endorsements, building your credibility, or citing expert testimony.
Logos appeals are based on logic. These types of appeals use facts, statistics, and evidence to persuade audiences.
Pathos appeals are based on emotion. These type of appeals include the faces of starving children, the promise of success, or the lure of acceptance. Any part of your copy designed to make readers feel anger, pity, love, hope, etc. is an example of pathos.
Using one or all of these appeals in your content can boost its persuasive abilities considerably.
3) KISS -- Keep Your Writing Short, Simple, and Concise to Appeal to as Many Potential Customers as Possible.
This acronym stands for Keep it Short and Simple. Basically, it means that your writing should be concise and to the point not a rambling bunch of metaphors and big words. You want your copy to appeal to as many people as possible so following this guideline is always a good idea.
Whether you decide to write your own copy or hire a professional, these tips will help you develop successful and effective copy every time you need it.
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Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home Based Business Opportunities - A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources to help you start a home based business. Visit him at: http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com
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