Words by Smith
Writing | Editing | Consulting
Sample Deliverables
From a Case Study for a B2B media company.
Proposed web copy with original for client's reference.
Proposed content for an email sequence.
Modular email campaign promoting a university business program.
Proofreading deliverable for an international client's website.
Revision round for a blog article.
Tracked edits for a local museum's newsletter.
Final cover letter for a job seeker.
Select copy for board games in development.
Landing Pages: Investing in Good Copy
Short on time, a brand consultant reached out for assistance, so I delivered copy that was up to the task and ready-to-publish.
I approached the landing page as a piece of sales copy, with the goal of selling the webinar.
The client was extremely pleased with the results—so much that they kept my original layout.
Case Studies
Overview
The client, a marketing consultant, needed a quick turnaround on a landing page for an investment webinar.
Project Plan
My client had been tasked with promoting an upcoming webinar for a real estate investment company. In a crunch, they reached out for help with the copy. I gathered what details I could from the client, and proceeded to round out my research. I studied the webinar materials and learned everything I could about the investment company and its team from their website and LinkedIn presence.
Execution
Once I had a solid grasp of the company’s business and brand voice, I was ready to start writing. The client requested that the copy fit on one page, include space for images, and be laid out in two columns.
I approached the landing page as a piece of sales copy, with the goal of selling the webinar. The call to action was for readers to sign up for the webinar. From my research and consultation with the client, I understood our target audience to be professionals who had money (but not a lot of free time) to spend on investment properties. This dictated the general format, which I intended to be punchy and informative. The copy itself emphasized the dual benefits of the webinar as delivering a comprehensive overview of the investment landscape in a short timeframe, and offering time-poor professionals an opportunity to cash in.
Conclusion
The client was extremely pleased with the results—so much that they kept my original layout, which I had merely intended as a mockup.
Short on time, this marketer reached out for assistance, so I delivered copy that was up to the task and ready-to-publish.
Articles & Blogs: Brewing More Than Buzzwords
Leveraging both my research skills and natural interest in coffee, I was able to deliver five thousand words worth of original article content by the one-week deadline.
Working from reputable sources, I generated content that was both fascinating and factually sound.
Overview
My client, a content developer, needed assistance making a deadline. Unforeseen circumstances had resulted in more work landing on their plate. To make matters worse, the new content was for a coffee company — a subject outside of my client’s expertise.
Leveraging both my research skills and natural interest in coffee, I was able to deliver five thousand words worth of original article content by the one-week deadline.
Project Plan
I have a personal passion for coffee that sets me apart from most of the daily grind. Being naturally curious and an all-around nerd, I like to learn everything I can about my interests.
So when my client confessed they were at a loss as to where to begin, I was ready to step right in. The project called for five articles of approximately a thousand words each. The goal was to enhance organic traffic for a coffee company with supplemental content.
Execution
The company’s brand was ethically sourced gourmet coffee. I took the approach that ideal customers would be much like myself — coffee enthusiasts who prided themselves on knowing a bit more about the contents of their cup.
With this in mind, I sketched out a list of article topics that I thought might be of interest to such consumers, including:
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Brewing the Perfect Cup
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Arabica and Robusta – A Gourmet’s Guide
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A Quick Guide to the Coffee World Map
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Coffee’s History through the “Third Wave” and the Future
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Why do you drink coffee?
There’s plenty of information circulating on the subject of coffee. It isn’t difficult to find existing content to the tune of these topics and more, but it can prove difficult finding credible sources. When I find myself in such circumstances, I revert to my academic roots.
That's to say I hit the books. Because, yes, I’m the sort of nerd who has books about coffee lying around.
Working from reputable sources, I generated content that was both fascinating and factually sound.
Conclusion
The articles went over great with my client, who was more than pleased to have something of substance for their deadline.
For my own efforts, I got to see another deliverable published in the light of day (or the internet, rather). Plus I had an excuse to actually sit down and read some of those books I’d collected. Bonuses all around.
Case Studies:
A Case Study (How Meta!)
Clients frequently struggle to form a narrative around their own projects. As professionals, it's easy to forget that we’re part of the equation as well.
All these charts and graphs looked very impressive, and represented great value to the customers. However, it didn’t look like much to an outsider.
I admit, most people wouldn’t find these short narratives starring SEO metrics very exciting. But they would find them understandable.
Overview
Clients frequently struggle to form a narrative around their own projects. Sometimes it’s the writing they find daunting, sometimes they are simply too close to the work to see a bigger picture. It’s understandable — as professionals, we can all become hyper-focused on our deliverables. We forget that we’re part of the equation as well.
That’s why this case study is all about . . . other case studies. My client was a web developer providing businesses with search engine optimization services. They had done the work and delivered analytical proof of their success. But how do metrics fit into a story? That’s where I come in.
Project Plan
In my experience, when clients encounter difficulty developing case studies, it’s because they think they’re missing something. They may look at their final deliverable and feel that they have nothing to support it but pure anecdote. Or perhaps they provided an analytical service and feel they have nothing to share with prospective clients but cold data. In either case, the upshot is the same. They struggle to complete a full picture of how they do business.
My client had provided SEO services to ten of their own customers. In each case, they had delivered a formidable report highlighting improvements to domain rating, organic search traffic, site engagement, and visibility. All these charts and graphs looked very impressive, and represented great value to the customers. However, it didn’t look like much to an outsider.
Execution
Good case studies do two things for a professional. They make your process more transparent to prospective clients, and they help those clients see themselves working with you. Essentially, case studies help clients make the decision to hire you.
While I may be familiar with the principles of SEO, it’s well outside my expertise. That meant doing some research to make sure I knew what I was talking about (and looking at). I opted to embrace my lack of experience in the subject area — after all, prospective clients seeking SEO services were likely to share my timidity starting out.
So I started with the basics, outlining the process overall and explaining key jargon in each case study. The goal was make the process fully accessible, so that any business could see itself benefitting from my client’s services.
Conclusion
It worked. The result was a kind of connect-the-dots narrative, starting with the first step in the process, and explaining how each graph (from rising domain rating over time to hikes in keyword search results) fit into the picture.
I admit, most people wouldn’t find these short narratives starring SEO metrics very exciting. But they would find them understandable. And that was precisely the point.