Hey, I decided to try a monthly news post.
In general…
After an intense January, working on longer website projects (who said that the start of the year is always slow?), February saw a change of pace and a lot more variety.
What I’ve been working on
Lots of great little content page jobs this month:
- An article page for a secondary glazing company
- A batch of pages on the various aspects of equity release
- An editorial piece for an automobile servicing centre
- Re-working simple home page text for a Swiss retreat centre
- A short staff profile piece for a South American company
- A service page and a case study for a payment gateway provider
- Fixed the copy on a landscaper’s website
- …and I’ve just finished the month with a general service/info page for a family law firm in the US!
Oh, and I created a new banner image for my pages on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter – something a little more copywriter-esque. Trying it out for size. Maybe it’ll stick.
What will March bring? It could see the return of a longer website project or two, and I look forward to a few small jobs too – a change is as good as a rest.
Personal writing
I’m still meant to be finishing the first draft of the first two instalments in the ‘Bug Squad’ series, but that had to go onto the back burner this month for two reasons:
- Copywriting work needed some extra time;
- I have been working apace on my ‘Creepy Show For Kids’ theatre script for the ever-supportive Neil Jones. It was meant to be done for the end of the month, but I just need a few more days – sorry Neil!
Out and about
Colchester Digital – the great Meetup group where I was honoured to give a talk in January featured two more great presentations this month on what makes websites tick. If you work in anything related to the digital or online world, then you should get along to this group.
Networking – positive sessions as ever at Chelmsford Business Breakfast Club, EBN (both the Colchester and Witham chapters) and Business Biscotti this month. Networking might not be for everyone, but as a sole trader I really value getting out of the house and meeting other people working hard to build and sustain their own businesses.
Writenight was sadly cancelled this month as temperatures plummeted, but I set myself and my laptop up in the Three Wise Monkeys and used the time to work on the ‘Creepy Show’ play. Result!
Did I see any interesting copy on my travels? Not this time, but I’ll pay more attention in March, promise.
On the headphones
I’ve stopped using constant ambient background noise and am now sticking to interesting electronic tunes and film soundtracks as I focus on writing. As ever, the playlist leans heavily on Boards Of Canada, Tycho, Loscil, Gold Panda, Nathan Fake, Jon Hopkins, deadmau5 and Einaudi.
New on the headphones this month was Jóhann Jóhannsson’s incredible soundtrack for ‘Arrival’. There is nothing else quite like it in the world, and the composer’s recent untimely death at 48 was a sad loss to the field of cinematic, orchestral and experimental music.
What I’m reading
‘Start With Why’ by Simon Sinek – again. Perhaps I’ll finish it this time!
Favourite article of the month
A few to choose from, but in the end I’ve got to go for this absolute masterclass in Content Marketing today, and guide to putting together a killer, ultra-valuable post:
https://unbounce.com/product-marketing/product-awareness-data-and-lessons-learned/
(yes, I know it’s dated Jan 31st, but I didn’t get to read it until Feb 2nd…)
Until next month – stay warm, and stay productive!
Do you have any questions about what I could do for you? Drop me a line via my Contact page and I promise to respond within 24 hours, if not 24 minutes.
