I set up this copywriting and web design business in November 2015 and, amongst, all the companies I’ve tried with, this is my primary success. This company generates high income, large volumes of traffic and plenty of plaudits.
The thing is though I don’t overtly come from a marketing background. I’ve got a degree in English, 27 years of teaching English under my belt and very little marketing experience. Yet, Get Pro Copy is a resounding success and it’s because of seven lessons I’ve followed:
- I started small. I had little money to invest in November 2015, though plenty of time on my hands. I put £1000 aside for launching this enterprise. The first iteration of this website was done in exchange for written copy, as I had no clue about WordPress or Web Design back then. Some would say I still haven’t! My point is you don’t need £100,000 to start off. Start small. Then grow.
- Do things yourself. I’m lucky, perhaps, that I can write and have skills with the written and spoken word. I had someone design the website to showcase my copywriting skills, but I populated it with content. I didn’t pay a copywriter to tell my story, share my sales propositions. I outsourced the web design, logo and photography. I did the social media marketing, the networking, the boosted posts on Facebook and Instagram and the building of a following on LinkedIn. Do things yourself to save money.
- Be fast. I’d little time facing 5 classes for one hour each day to plan and reflect on each lesson. It is better, in my books, to deliver than procrastinate, waiting for perfection or a lightbulb moment. It’s better to have some copy on a basic website than superb copy on a bespoke website that will take you six months or two years to launch. You can then adapt and improve. This website is on its third version and a fourth will follow in 2022, to improve it further. Don’t stand still when up and running. BUT don’t stand still when you can start walking.
- Learn from your mistakes. I’ll be honest, my passions apart from writing and web design, is in the property arena. I’ve set up a partnered estate agency, a property introducer service and went solo as Nest In Norfolk. One survives but generates no income – it lies dormant. I know to become a success in estate agency, I’d need £100k in capital, a shopfront, massive commitment to portal payments – Rightmove fees, trust me, are obscene. These failures though have made me focus on one business only – this one – and my work in estate agency attracts writing and web work from the property industry. I just don’t actively promote that. I learned that the money maker is Get Pro Copy, not the 4 other websites I’ve got.
- Be consistent. I could easily pull out a cigar and puff away contentedly on the success I’ve created. Yet I don’t rest on laurels. I create content consistently for this website, I put out posts on six social media channels and by being consistent, I’ve done well. So will you. Do not give up.
- Build a brand. I’m a 56 year old recovering alcoholic, with a recent past of mental breakdown. I’ve built a brand though with Get Pro Copy and people buy from it as it’s recognisable, discoverable and imbued with my back story. I’ve branded email signatures, social media feeds, my clothing, my office, my updates. Many people know of my brand and if they don’t, they will when they “connect” with me. I want this brand to have longevity too – so no name change or new logos are in the pipeline.
- Make it easy for people to buy from you. If you’re selling products or services online, make multiple payment options possible – bank transfer, PayPal, Stripe, Klarna and Clearpay for example. If, like me, you use Xero invoicing, make it easy for people to buy. I issue a proposal, then invoice and by clicking PAY NOW, they can pay via PayPal, Bank Transfer or Credit or Debit Card – all securely. Since I made it easy for people to buy my services, I acquire more customers – oh, and the invoicing (see point 6) is branded as Get Pro Copy.
Hope these tips are useful from someone who has created success over a 6 year period!
