What’s not to like about a guarantee?

Anyone in marketing knows how good a guarantee can be for business. A strong guarantee goes a long way toward removing any skepticism among your constituency and helps convert leads to sales.

From a consumer’s point of view, it’s reassuring to know that a company believes so highly in its products and services that it’s willing to stand behind them, even if it means having to dole out a refund to anyone who claims dissatisfaction.

A guarantee not only shows confidence in what you have to offer, it’s a powerful demonstration of good faith, a great way of telling those on the other side of the table that there’s no way you’ll be happy unless they’re more than happy with their purchase.

Do you guarantee your performance on the job? In my current search for a new career opportunity, I do. In my new infographic resume, I’ve included a QR code (above) that takes those who scan it straight to Bob’s Guarantee, a page on my blog where I promise to give a new employer or client “everything I have to offer as a copywriter, creative director and social media consultant.”

“If you’re dissatisfied with my work for any reason whatsoever, there will be no charge and no questions asked. No kidding. All I ask is that if you choose to take advantage of this guarantee, you do so within my first 30 days on the job.”

I’m making such a bold offer because, as I state in my guarantee, “I’m confident you’re going to like what you see from me, but amid today’s competitive job market, you might never see a thing unless I go out on a limb to get my foot in the door.”

What’s not to like about that?

My first job out of graduate school many years ago was as a copywriter for RCA Direct Marketing in New York City. And the rest, as they say, has been history.

Since that first gig writing about popular records (yes, vinyl) and tapes (cassettes and eight-tracks, to be specific), I’ve written about an incalculable number of other products and services, from business cards to books, healthcare to software, magazines to music, travel to tuxedos and more.

I’ve also written direct response fundraising copy for dozens of charitable organizations — which, by the way, has been some of the most satisfying work I’ve done over the course of my career so far.

I may have worked for a number of different companies, developed new skills and taken on new responsibilities — such as creative direction, public speaking and social media — along the way, but I’ve also stayed true to my professional roots.

And after all these years writing headlines and subject lines, direct mail packages and email blasts, blog posts and brochures, teasers and tweets, I’ve drawn a handful of conclusions about what it takes to make a living as a copywriter.

So for those who are interested in learning more about this profession, here (above) is a new presentation of mine based on a list of 10 ways to succeed as a copywriter that I originally wrote and published as a series of blog posts.

I hope you won’t hesitate to view, download and share this presentation with others. And if you know anyone who might be interested in learning more about copywriting, I’m always happy to speak about this topic, so I’d be grateful if you were to point them in my direction. Thanks a lot.

If you’re a content creator like me, someone who goes to great lengths to share your own knowledge and opinions via social media, you know how important it is to get the most mileage out of your original work.

Frankly, I’m always thinking of new ways to leverage and repurpose my efforts.

So as I was writing the posts in my “10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter“ series, I’ll admit that I was thinking all along that they might lend themselves quite well to video. After all, I had already turned a number of blog posts into short clips that I had uploaded to YouTube, each of which featured me talking straight into the camera from a variety of different locations. I envisioned this series to be no different. What I didn’t anticipate was that it would take me more than a year to shoot all 10 of the videos, even though the scripts for each of them were already written and all of them except for the first one were less than three minutes in length.

Between my busy family life and crazy long work hours, never mind my efforts to run at least a few miles every other day, there just never seemed to be enough time.

That said, they’re done — finally. They’re recorded, uploaded and available for public consumption. And – hint, hint – the more views, comments, likes, shares, etc., of course, the better.

Despite the relative simplicity of these videos, they gave me a good opportunity to present myself as an experienced, enthusiastic copywriter, someone who has been living and breathing what he’s talking about since 1983. They also gave me the chance to put even more content out there, parlaying my written words into moving pictures that put a face to the thoughts and theories that I believe in so strongly.

As for the production of these videos, we’re talking bare bones and basic. The only equipment used was a  Flip video camera, a Motorola Droid X smartphone, Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 11.0 video editing software, a tripod and a few Sharpie markers to write up my cue cards.

Seriously, this was an amateur production on a shoestring budget. I just talked straight into the camera and shared my thoughts on what I feel are the secrets to success as a copywriter.

It was also a family affair. That’s right, I couldn’t have shot these videos without the cooperation and assistance of my two sons, Scott (standing alongside me in the photo at right) and Ben, and my wife, Barbara. Each of them went above and beyond in either holding the camera or the cue cards for me, putting up with my insistence on doing multiple takes of each video until I got my lines down just right. I thank them profusely and sincerely. 

And finally, there were the locations of the shoots. In an attempt to make these videos stand out from from the competition for eyeballs and to give them a fun, little twist, I shot six of them amid a unique outdoor setting, not too far from my home in Sudbury, Massachusetts. 

From the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge to Walden Pond to the Boston Common, we certainly covered a lot of ground. 

See for yourself. Let me know what you think of my blog post on video series, “10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter.” What follows below is the last video in the series as well as individual links to all 10 of the videos, each of which was uploaded to my YouTube channel shortly after shooting. Please don’t hesitate to let me know what you think I could have done differently to improve the production value and overall effectiveness of these videos. And if you like them, please don’t hesitate to share them — or this post — with your friends, colleagues and especially any copywriters you may know in the business. Thanks.

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 1 — Dare to be Different
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 2 — Care Deeply about Results
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 3 — Walk in Your Readers’ Shoes
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 4 — Develop Strong Presentation Skills
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 5 — Keep Your Head out of the Sand
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 6 — Exercise Good Judgement
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 7 — Meet Your Deadlines
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 8 — Be a Team Player
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 9 — Sweat the Small Stuff
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part 10 — Use Social Media

For about seven years in the 1990s, I was self-employed, doing my thing as a freelance copywriter and creative director for my own small business, Cargill Creative. It was the time of my career, a period of exhilaration and entrepreneurship I’ll never forget. As challenging as it was to have to fend for myself, it felt good to know that almost everything I achieved was dependent on my own abilities and actions, not necessarily on any outside factors.

I was working on a high wire without a safety net and I liked it.  

As I wrote here on this blog back on June 1, 2004, about this experience…

Cargill Creative was a “virtual” agency with unlimited potential but resources that were only so deep. Schooled as a creative, I recast myself out of necessity as an account executive, a traffic manager, a salesman and an accountant, too. Occasionally I had enough money in the coffers to employ an additional writer, but for the better part of this gig it was just me, myself and I, the accidental principal who wore all the hats, the chief, cook and bottle washer. The hours were long, the responsibilities were endless, but the upside of being my own boss was the autonomy and freedom, and my professional inhibitions ran wild. It’s no coincidence that during this stretch of new found glory I explored options that might otherwise not have been available to me, throwing myself into three organizations — Toastmasters, The New England Direct Marketing Association and The MetroWest Leadership Academy — that, collectively, would have a long-term impact on not just my career, but also my growth as an individual. Call it ambition. Call it survival. Call it biting off more than I could chew (well, almost). But clearly I was refusing to be intimidated by any unfounded fears of failure, knowing full well that much of what I was doing I was doing either then or never.

I wrote the following list of “The 10 Qualities of the Professional Freelancer” back in 1995, when I was in the thick of it as Cargill Creative, but I think it’s timeless and relevant enough to republish here on my blog in 2011.

While I’m not a full-time freelancer today, I still handle an occasional freelance project on the side and I still believe strongly that any copywriter (or designer), self-employed or not, who has these qualities has the best chance to succeed.

The 10 Qualities of the Professional Freelancer

Here are 10 good qualities a freelance copywriter or graphic designer needs to succeed as a professional. If you are a freelancer, have fantasized about such an existence, or simply hire these sole practitioners, the following list is for you.

1. Fastidious. A freelancer has to be excessively critical of his or her own work and take great care to do everything right, because there is no one else to blame but yourself if something goes wrong.

2. Resourceful. A freelancer must be able to deal skillfully with new problems and unique challenges, because each job is going to be different and each client expects you to be — or, at least, to become — an expert in their field.

3. Enthusiastic. A freelancer should approach his or her craft with spirit and intensity; that way, you will enjoy your work days and the bane of your existence, deadlines, won’t be so intimidating.

4. Experienced. A freelancer should possess a body of work and a history in the business for two reasons: 1) You need to show prospects what you have done in order for them to become clients and; 2) You need to know the rules before you can break the rules.

5. Lionhearted. A freelancer needs to be extremely courageous in order to succeed. To run your own business takes guts. You are out there on your own. You have to be willing to take risks. And able to take the heat when the pressure is applied.

6. Artistic. A freelancer must express his or her creativity. You have to be able to look at things differently, do things differently, and dare to be different yourself. As Pablo Picasso once said, “Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, while others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”

7. Nocturnal. A freelancer should be prepared to work long hours, often well into the night, in order to complete his or her assignments on time. There are moments during the day — meetings, phone calls, etc. — when it becomes obvious that the only block of uninterrupted time you are going to come by is when the day is over.

8. Congenial. A freelancer needs to know how to win friends and influence people. Be agreeable and positive in nature and disposition. Clients will like doing business with you and networking will come easy.

9. Educated. A freelancer must know a lot about a lot of things in order to work successfully with a variety of clients. Read voraciously — books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, you name it. Attend seminars. Ask questions of your mentors and peers. And never close your mind.

10. Rebellious. A freelancer needs to question the norm in order to find a better way of doing things. You are a hired gun. Someone who has stepped out of line and been called on to run with the ball. Don’t be a troublemaker. But don’t be a conformist, either.

Of course, there are countless qualities that the freelancer — any freelancer — should possess, too many to mention in one blog post alone. So what do you think? What qualities do you feel are essential to the success of the professional freelancer in 2011? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. And thanks, as always.

Since my first post on February 17, 2004, I’ve written more than 91,000 words on A New Marketing Commentator, but these are going to be some of my last words here for a while. Yes, it’s time to give this blog a rest – again. I’m sure I’ll be back soon, but I’ve decided it’s time for another break from the blogosphere, similar to the one I took earlier in this blog’s lifespan.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to check out my archives, especially the 2,700-word “10 Ways to Succeed in Social Media” and the 2,800-word “10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter,” two long series of blog posts I’ve bundled together and published as long, standalone articles.

Other relatively recent posts I’ve written that I’d like to single out include “The Importance of Character in Social Media,” “50 Reasons Why I Like Twitter” and “Retrospective: What I’ve Written about Social Media in the Last Year.”

Altogether, I’ve written over 200 posts here on this blog (218 to be exact) – on marketing, advertising, social media, fundraising, even the Boston Marathon – each of which I invite you to read at your convenience, if you haven’t read them already.  

And while you’re at it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I may not be blogging for a while, but I have every intention of remaining very active in social media.  

Thank you, as always, for your friendship, support and interest in what I have to say.

Bob Cargill
December 26, 2010
Bio
Work History
Speaking History

Photo of Bob Cargill by Kevin Harkins of Harkins Photography

If you’ve been reading this blog for the last few months, you know I’ve been writing a series of posts on copywriting. Similar to the approach I took with my series on social media, I’ve looked at copywriting from a 30,000-foot level, focusing on the principles you need to be mindful of if you want to succeed in this profession.

As I wrote about my own career in the very first post in this series…

I may have worked for a number of different companies, developed new skills and taken on new responsibilities – such as creative direction, public speaking and social media – along the way, but I’ve also stayed true to my roots as a copywriter.

And after all of these years writing headlines and subject lines, direct mail packages and email blasts, blog posts and brochures, teasers and tweets, I’ve been able to draw a handful of conclusions about what it takes to succeed as a copywriter.

Now that I’ve completed this 2,800-word series on copywriting, I’ve bundled each post together and archived them as one long article, “10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter,” which you can read in its entirety here. Or simply click on the fifth tab over (the next to last one to the right) at the top of this blog.

For your convenience, I’ve also listed each post in this series below with its corresponding link.

As always, if you have any feedback for me, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or click “Like” below. Thank you.

To read the entire 2,800-word “10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter” series, click here.

To read each post in this series, one at a time, follow the links below…

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part One
Dare to be different.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Two
Care deeply about results.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Three
Walk in your readers’ shoes.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Four
Develop strong presentation skills.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Five
Keep your head out of the sand.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Six
Exercise good judgment.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Seven
Meet your deadlines.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Eight
Be a team player.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Nine
Sweat the small stuff.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Ten
Use social media.

10. Use social media.

A copywriter’s job is to use the written word to promote something or someone using a variety of media, anything from radio to TV, direct mail to email, websites to billboards, print ads to assorted signage, sky writing, you name it.

And today, included among all that tried-and-true, traditional media are blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other popular Internet-based, self-publishing vehicles.

The fact is, anyone working in the marketing, advertising, sales and PR fields who knows how to use social media tools and technologies will likely be much more successful amidst this new communications era.

And those who earn a living writing copy have an obvious competitive advantage. After all, the better you write, the better chance you have of stringing together the right messages for the right occasions and making yourself heard loud and clear above the social media din.

So use social media – but not just on behalf of your clients and customers, on behalf of yourself, too.

Social media is the ideal forum for a copywriter. It’s where you can network with other like-minded professionals, keep up on breaking news and learn from industry gurus. It’s also where you can share your own knowledge and expertise, where you can actually practice — and demonstrate — your craft in public.

Writing tweets, blog posts, status updates, notes and anything else in social media not only keeps your writing fresh, it keeps you up to speed on the latest communications platforms. It’s a great way to connect with the modern world and succeed as a copywriter in today’s day and age.

This is the 10th in a 10-post series on how to succeed as a copywriter. In the near future, I’ll be publishing the entire series as one long post (probably as a separate page) somewhere here on my blog, A New Marketing Commentator. If you have any feedback on this series for me, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or click “like” below. Thanks.

Previous Posts in This Series

10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part One
Dare to be different.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Two
Care deeply about results.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Three
Walk in your readers’ shoes.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Four
Develop strong presentation skills.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Five
Keep your head out of the sand.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Six
Exercise good judgment.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Seven
Meet your deadlines.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Eight
Be a team player.
10 Ways to Succeed as a Copywriter, Part Nine
Sweat the small stuff.