Thursday, July 29, 2010

Get Paid To Write Brochures

Most businesses try to sell their services through the use of a brochure. Brochure writing and design is not something that takes ages to perfect.

The most important consideration is identifying the purpose of the brochure. Is it to sell a client on the company itself, or a specific product or service? Once the subject is identified, then you can pinpoint the key features of the specific idea that should be emphasized. 

Keeping brochures simple is important. Writing everything there is to know about a company, product or service may seem great, but it is usually ineffective because it’s too much for a casual reader to take in. 

Simplicity, on the other hand, can trigger a potential client’s interest and have them seeking out the company to ascertain more about the product or service identified within the brochure. Once they call, the company has a better chance of transforming that curiosity into a new customer.  As you begin to do writing, you will work with other professionals in the field such as graphic artists. 

These are individuals whose artwork can help create a terrific brochure. But, for small businesses, it is often convenient to find the copywriter and graphic artist in one person. For that reason, the use of a computer has great potential rewards. There is a wide variety of "desk-top publishing" software that can be used for both writing and graphic design. There are specific programs that design a brochure.  

Being able to offer the whole package will be a great advantage to your business. Brochure writing can bring you a nice paycheck per piece, as high as $500-1000 for some elaborate pieces. 

As a writer, your objective is to put the message within the brochure effectively. Remember- keep it simple. The easier to read and comprehend, the higher the response will be to the piece.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Get Paid For Writing For Local Business

Companies, particularly small ones, have a great need for writers. Think about it! Every day, a business is corresponding with a customer, a potential customer or a supplier. That correspondence often takes the written form.  

Well-written correspondence can make the difference between getting a job, landing a customer, increased growth in the business or not. The importance of writing can never be overlooked. Yet the majority of people, even business people whose prosperity depends on customers, place little emphasis on good writing and spend very little time at it.

Your opportunities here are many. Businesses write letters, create brochures, advertise their services, send out direct mail to potential customers; in short, they WRITE!  You’ll have to alter your business card or, better yet, create a new business card to  advertise your "all-purpose" writing services. 

Prepare samples of different types of writing you can do. Instead of throwing out that junk mail, save those letters and practice perfecting their idea to get a potential customer to respond to what’s in the letter. Have a family member of a friend bring home samples of correspondence from their places of work. Read them and practice writing business letters. 

Go to the library and check the reference works on writing good letters. Read newspapers and magazines for sample advertising copy. Take a product you like and write an advertisement for it. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Get Paid To Write Resumes

Nearly everyone, at one time or another, has written a resume in preparation for a job search. So why not start there? How many times have you done your own resume? If you’ve written it at least once, think of all the other people who have sat down to attempt it.

What an endless list of possible clients! No matter how large or small the town in which you live, hundreds and even thousands of people are in need of resumes. People change jobs a lot today, through their own wishes or due to circumstances beyond their control (like a downsize, merger, buy-out or similar business adjustment). Besides, people don’t often keep their resumes up to date.

So, we’ve established the need- resumes for people. Now, can you write them?

Why not? If you haven’t done your own lately, do it now! Practice on yourself. There are a number of books you can check out at your local library or bookstore that offer help in formatting a "Modern" resume. There are employment resumes which list your experience by positions you’ve held. There are also functional resumes which list your qualifications by skill. Your employment history listed at the end is of lesser significance to the overall message you’re trying to send, which is "hire me!"

The business world is increasingly competitive in the number of positions available, as modern technology has eliminated some positions while creating a need for others. The key today is specialization and a well-written resume can help you "stand out" in a potential employer’s eyes.

Since many individuals are either unaware of a resume‘s importance or lack the confidence in their ability to write a competitive resume, a resume-writing service can address both needs. Proper advertising of the service can educate people as to the resume‘s importance, while advertising alone may well generate more calls than you can handle from people who know a good resume is crucial and want some "expert" help in constructing their "masterpiece".

Employers use resumes today to narrow down the list of people they want to bring in for an interview. Specialization has employers looking for particular talents, but often a memorable resume can help get an interview even if all of their "requirements" for the job aren’t present.

You don‘t need much to get a resume service off the ground. First, you should study the various books on how to write a good resume. Practice a few formats and have samples ready for potential customers to review.

Second, you will need a computer with a word-processing program or even just a good memory typewriter. If you have a computer and can afford a laser printer, all the better. But remember, you’re not in the printing business, you are simply creating the resume for your client.

Finally, this is an easy business to operate out of your home. If you have an area sufficient to put a computer or typewriter, you can start. Pick up a file cabinet, or the smaller, plastic file boxes to store client files. Your client’s need for a resume probably won’t end with one effort. Another job search is likely to occur down the road and the client will probably come back to you for an update, especially if they were successful getting a job the first time around. Keeping a client’s past resume on file can assist you for further work later.

As you research your resume writing, make a list of verbs that are common for resume writing, such as:

administered
managed
analyzed
operated
completed
organized
coordinated
prepared
created
started
designed
supervised
developed
trained
evaluated
wrote

These lists will assist you in writing your resumes very quickly without constantly referring to a thesaurus. Time is of the essence to a freelance writer; there are shortcuts to producing quality work without spending hours and hours on a given piece.

You’re ready to start. Now you must attract clients. Put together a business card and a flyer and start tacking them up on every community bulletin board in town. Send them to large company personnel departments who may refer employees who are being laid off. Advertise in the classified of your local newspaper and in the smaller, often free, publications that are circulated around town like the "Pennysaver". Tell friends and family members and give them your card/flyer. They can spread the word among friends. Someone’s bound to need help.

What should you charge? A simple one-page resume could be priced as low as $25. The more complicated the resume, the more you charge. Much depends on the amount of work you have to do. Keep track of the time it takes you to complete a resume- the more work, the longer hours, the higher your price.