It feels like yesterday’s decision to “retire” (or, more appropriately, “apply for Social Security and one pension earlier than age 66”) has given me a new lease on life. I’m going to re-brand my services. Instead of touting what I offer as “premier copy writing services at more affordable prices”, I’m going to have a more fun approach, something along the lines of, “I’m semi-retired now but far from tired. My brain still loves dancing with words. So use it before I lose it!”

There is a fun urgency to this call to action. And my tagline can be something like, “If you can’t afford  my writing services now,  your business is probably a pipe dream.”  This bit is a blunt reminder that marketing to new customers and turning them into satisfied “viral sneezers” matters… a lot!

I’m lowering my prices by 50% up front (the reduction is already shown on my FEES and FAQ pages) and I can get a contract with the clients who hire me to write opt in pages and other analytics-based pages to pay me 10% of the income that comes from those pages. This way they’ll know I have skin in the game and won’t just charge them upfront and disappear while they hope for the best; my own (heftier) income will depend on how well the copy converts browsers into buyers for them.

My new brochure will look pretty much the way it does now but it will be testimonial-heavy–possibly as much as 75% testimonials because (I tell all my up-and-running business clients this) unless we providers of goods and services throw a spotlight on legitimate existing testimonials (ones the Federal Trade Commission can investigate to verify that an actual client or customer wrote them) what we say about ourselves or what a copywriter writes about us won’t be sufficiently convincing. Potential buyers or followers want to know that someone else who shared their same pain, problem or predicament was wildly satisfied by the results they received and by the way they were treated.

I can offer my services at medium-rate charges this way, which will put me within reach of the people I’m most passionate about serving: small mom and pop places, one off local businesses, and others whose marketing budgets don’t hold a candle to the marketing budgets of corporations, big business, and big box stores.

I can incorporate the search phrases “cheap writer”, “cheap copywriter,” “affordable writer,” “affordable copywriter, ” and “reasonably-priced copywriter” into my outreach materials and make sure that readers are quickly made aware that , in my case, “cheap”  doesn’t mean “low quality”, “newbie” or “wannabe”.  I’ll be charging higher than virtually all newbie and wannabe writers but my writing chops will be on display right here on my website and in my portfolio portfolio so visitors can compare my stuff to other candidates’ copy and so they can read the scores of testimonials I’ve received from clients.

This is a niche-savvy plan that zeroes in like a laser beam on a market segment that is under-served by most professional copywriters. It throws a spotlight on my ability to serve them at prices they can afford and that their results (ROI) should be admirable and make them very happy campers.

Yes!

I’m dedicating every weekend (and every spare moment) to this re-branding effort so I have something to express and profess when I’m out and about attending networking events, speaking and teaching… and reaching out virtually across the country and around the world.

I’m excited. Can you tell?

Sure hope so!