ARE YOU READY FOR THE UPTURN?

Sorry, it’s been a while since my last blog – although I have been writing occasional blogs on Ecademy. In this blog, I want to focus on the delicate issue of the recession – and how you can get yourself ready for the inevitable upturn.

Going for growth

There has been a lot of speculation in the media about the ’green shoots’ of recovery from the recession – although these seem to be taking a long time to appear in the UK! One big mistake that many companies make during a recession is that they immediately cut down on their marketing. That means that when an upturn comes, they’re not really ready for it.

So, if you’re not already cranking up your marketing activities, now’s the time to start. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth. There are some low cost but very effective ways of raising awareness of your company and its solutions. So why not start getting your products and services in front of potential customers before your competitors?

Keeping the costs down

One good and very cost-effective way of keeping your name in front of customers is by using monthly email newsletters (or ezines). These don’t have to be long – each issue could include four or five articles, each of which is just two or three paragraphs long. These can have links to ‘landing pages’ that contain a more detailed version for people who are interested enough to read further. Just make sure that you ezine is targeted at the right people and that it has a subject line that will grab their attention.

Even if the customer doesn’t always read the ezine, you’re at least getting your name in front of them on a regular basis. Then, when they do need something that you can provide, they’re more likely to remember you. You can even get very low cost templates that you could use (‘Constant Contact’ is one that is very popular)

Staying on an Internet theme, you could also write a regular blog. This can help to raise your profile and increase your ratings with search engines such as Google. A blog is just an informal, chatty article – you can use it to impart information or just to talk about something that you think might interest your customers.

Press releases are another inexpensive option – although you may not have much control over whether or not they get used.  Similarly, articles for trade magazines can help to increase your credibility as a company.

Help is at hand

If you need help with copywriting – at competitive rates – please contact me for further details.

Meanwhile, start marketing!

Phil

Freelance copywriter

Web: www.phila.co.uk

Email: info@phila.co.uk

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/philallcock

Not so long ago, if a story was in a newspaper it literally ended up as chip paper and people quickly forgot it – hence the expression.

Not now. With the age of the internet, stories are around for a whole lot longer, if not indefinitely.

Trawl a search engine for your favourite celeb, author, even politician (well, maybe not!) and you’ll find stories going back years.

This timelessness can be a huge advantage for businesses. It means that one press release, published in one or two newspapers or magazines, can be around for far longer than before. The PR effect is more long-term. Where once the story would have been and gone within a day, it now lurks ready to pop up again for anyone searching for information about your company.

With this in mind, what better time to try and get that good news story published? Think about what has been going on and what stories you can get out there. Have you won an award, or been a finalist? Have you taken on new staff, relocated, or expanded? Perhaps you have won a new contract, set up a new service, sponsored an event, or taken over another business?

You could even create a news story for the purpose. Ever wondered why companies carry out such strange surveys? Because newspapers often publish the results and details of which business or organisation commissioned them. This week the Daily Telegraph carried a piece about what most irritates people, based on a survey commissioned by – of all things – a flower organisation from Holland.

These sorts of stories are bread and butter to a local paper, which is always on the hunt for news. Editorial is free so all you have to do is write and issue the press release. At Word Worker, we offer a value-for-money press release writing service aimed specifically at small business. We write your release and send it to the right person, whether that’s the business editor, news editor, or features editor.

And if a release gets published, and stays around online, it could be bringing in new business for many years to come.

“The difficulty in claiming fair use is that there is no predictable way to guarantee that your use will actually qualify as a fair use. You may believe that your use qualifies–but, if the copyright owner disagrees, you may have to resolve the dispute in a courtroom. Even if you ultimately persuade the court that your use was in fact a fair use, the expense and time involved in litigation may well outweigh any benefit of using the material in the first place.”

- Stanford Copyright & Fair Use, Online Library 2009

It is for this reason and others, that copyrights do not really benefit average people. Copyright laws benefit large corporations, as they are the only ones that can easily afford the court costs involved in defending copyrights. Poor people cannot afford the time or money it would take to defend their material, if it is stolen by anyone.

The benefits of Fair Use and Creative Commons for civilization, far out-weigh the problems of copyrights for common people. The best way of living is sharing what you create, so that others will share with you. If someone steals your work and uses it in a way you do not like, there is a more natural solution usually than suing. If it is your work, put it out there. Making your work public as soon as possible, is in essence the definition of publishing something. Proof that the work is yours, with a certifiable date, is all one really needs to discredit theft.

If it is a matter of someone else selling your work, find out how much they are selling it for, and how they are selling it, and then compete with them using free-market Capitalism. If all competition and negotiation fails, call the Press and tell your story to the world. If public opinion does not convince them to pay you what you deserve, and force them to give you control of the product, its not worth pursuing legally anyway.

This should not exist. I close my eyes, I open them again, but it’s still there. Could it be? I think I am falling in a sleepless coma…again.

I’ve only written one recent brief and that was for Roundhouse who were developing the web, graphic design and overall branding for the Brisbane Creative Industries site, logo etc.  Having worked as a designer before and was previously on the recieving end of these briefs, I felt that I can input my own experiences whenever we met up and discuss.  Saul/Roundhouse were the comissioners and I was comissioning them to develop this work for and with Brisbane Creative Industries.  That’s not something that I just made up of thin air by the way, having seen the Australian Graphic Design Association Qld Barbara Glauber talk and first mention her use/preference of the word comissioner over the use of the word client.

Here’s an example of a brief for a copywriting-related client job by Snappy Sentences (provided by Networx).  I was unable to attend that event due to sickness (and I still am as well – though have been able to do what I need to do during the day but not so much at night due to the hours).  Still waiting on those notes But for the meantime, check out tips from the speakers.

I had a good opportunity to chat to Letitia from Feedia – I think we started exchanging tweets when I was doing the @semipermanent twitter account but I didn’t meet her until the August AIMIA event.  She too wrote a blog post about the event and it is great to see staff of these companies go out there and be productive (I know other agencies do this such as BCM Partnership and having run into a couple of their guys at Qld Barcamp in July).

Tone Spliff - AUTHENTIC

What up, what up, what up!? So back in April I caught Hip-Hop fever and was determined to look for fresh Hip-Hop joints. That is when I came across this gem of an album entitled AUTHENTIC, by New York Turntablist Tone Spliff. Nowadays with Rap and Hip-Hop artists I hardly listen to their entire album. The last full album that I actually purchased in hardcopy CD form was Jay-Z’s Black Album and Kanye West’s College Dropout because they had solid joints from start to finish – no fillers, no bullshit.

I gotta say, this album lived up to its billing as being AUTHENTIC. The first song I listened to from the album was a joint between Royce da 5′9″ and Apathy called “If You Forgot My Name.” The song was a fast, hard hitting track that had some of the best cuts and samples to be used in a hip-hop song. The sample from Nas’ legendary song, “Nas is like…” never gets old and reminds you of the New York hip-hop roots of the album. Royce and Apathy just murdered it with their lyrical content and deliver. The anger, emotion, passion, and message of the lyrics on this track reminded me of the same passion and fire that Jay-Z and Eminem’s lyrics delivered on the “Renegade” track of the first Blueprint album. There was no letting down and both Apathy and Royce just let all go on the wax for this song. You would not forget their name…

Another track that packed mad heat was the track “Heartfelt” by Braille and Tone Spliff. “Heartfelt” was the opposite of “If You Forgot My Name” in terms of lyrical pace, beat, and content. The sound of the track was much more simple with a humming sample in the background and a slow and steady beat on top. The sample reminded of something that Kanye West would use. Braille’s lyrics over the track perfectly matched the mood of the track. The lyrics just reminded you of the daily hunger, struggle, and pain of the streets. This is a joint you just sit back, chill, and listen to.

The contrasting styles of “Heartfelt” and “If You Forgot My Name” show the depth and variety that Tone Spliff delivered on the album. Another notable tracks are “Act Like You Know Me,” “Respect Is Due,” “You,” and “The Right Way.” This is an album that is hot from start to finish. The tracks on the album start fast and by the end the tracks are slower paced, but in a good way. The samples and beats are just refreshing. For instance, “Respect Is Due” and “Live & Direct” are tracks that are wind instrument-heavy, but in each respective song they are utilized very differently. “The Right Way” and “Inside Out” tracks both have piano beats, but are different in tempo and beat. Its all creatively done and pieced together without duplicating the previous track. This album is the reason why I love Hip-Hop…and I did purchase this album.

Tracklisting:

1. Authentic Intro – Tizz

2. Do It For You – Krumbsnatcha

3. NSFW Skit – Tone Spliff

4. Funky 2 the Bone – Copywrite, Murdoc & King DOM

5. Act Like You Know Me – Baby Blak

6. Settin’ the Stage – Special Teamz

7. If You Forgot My Name – Apathy & Royce da 5′9″

8. Respect Is Due – Born Talent

9. Live & Direct – King Magnetic

10. You – Rise

11. Understood Perfectly – Irealz & Planet Asia

12. State of Mind – Shabaam Sahdeeq, Jukstapose, Chaundon

13. Heartfelt – Braille

14. The Right Way – Wordsworth & Okwerdz

15, Inside Out – Skyzoo, Copywrite & Pace Won

undergroundhiphop.com

Sean PUUHH, off Copywrite’s upcoming EP, Ultrasound: The Rebirth.

Download: Pick-Up Stix (Ft. Sean Price) – Copywrite

Here is a new joint off of Copywrite’s new project Ultrasound: The Rebirth EP which is due to drop in October. The track is produced by Jay Notes, and it features the always witty Sean Price on the mic. These guys make a great duo on the microphone, they have both always been known for their great rhymes. I can assure you that I will be grabbing the new EP as well as The High Exhaulted when it gets re-released. Make sure you go out and support Camu Tao and pick up the re-release of MHz, Table Scraps which is available via digital download as well as your local retail store. Shouts to 2DopeBoyz for the look on this one.

Download: Copywrite, “Pick-Up Stix” (Prod. By Jay Notes) (Feat. Sean Price)

Copywrite is one of the sickest emcees and lyricist out there, but most definite the ugliest. Anyhow, his punchline-based lyrics are sick! He is a certified underground rapper. He is now working on the follow-up to his debut album “The High Exhaulted”.  He recently featured on the UK hip-hop group Rhyme Asylum’s debut album “State of Lunacy”.

Download: Copywrite – The High Exhaulted

1. BLAQ POET – i-Gititin

2. KRS-ONE & BUCKSHOT – Survival Skills
Feat. DJ Revolution

3. 50 Cent – Put The Work In

4. NYGz – Gangstaz Of NY

5. Eminem – Warning (Mariah Carey Diss)

6. Trife Diesel – Wanna Be A Rapper

7. Alchemist – Therapy
Feat. Evidence,Talib Kweli,Blu,Kid Cudi

8. Ghostface Killah – Baby

9. Maino – Back To Life
Feat. Push Montana

10. Uncle Murda – Summertime Shootouts

11. Blaq Poet – HATE
Feat. N.O.R.E.

12. Marco Polo & Torae – Smoke
Feat. Lil Fame, Rock

13. DJ Quik & Kurupt – Blaqkout

14. DJ JS-1 – Sum Rap Shit
Feat. Nutrageous, Copywrite,Vast Aire

15. Willy Northpole – Feelin’ Alright

16. Singapore Cane – Mollywhopped
Feat. Big Shug

17. Blaq Poet – Rap Addiction
Feat. Shabeeno of NYGz, Lil Fame

Copywrite recently talked to HipHopDX about a few things that pertained to his dearly missed friend, Camu Tao. As many of you out there in the Hip-Hop community may know, the original MHz album Table Scraps has been re-released in both digital & retail. If you haven’t heard Table Scraps before, you are truly missing out on a piece of history. We are talking about an album that put Ohio’s Hip-Hop scene on the map for the first time, not to mention launched the careers of Rjd2, Copywrite & Camu Tao. The thing that is special about the re-release of Table Scraps is that portions of the proceeds will go directly to Camu’s family.

According to the HipHopDX article, Copy claims that many people didn’t even know that he and Camu were in a group. Copywrite feels as though Table Scraps is great music, and re-releasing it is a way to give back to Camu’s family. He also mentions that Table Scraps is exactly what it sounds like, a bunch of recordings laying around that they wanted to throw together for one cohesive effort to give people some insight. Copy also talks about not wanting to be a solo artist coming into the game, but things at Eastern Conference didn’t work out with MHz. In a baffling breath, Copy drops the bomb that DJ Mighty Mi didn’t even want to release Rjd2’s Dead Ringer (which is a catastrophic decision).

Copy met Camu in ninth grade and they soon found out that they had a lot of things in common as far as lifestyle. He notes that when Camu learned to make beats he elevated his game right away, “He was crazy with his style. He always wanted to do something different”. He remembers Camu as a good friend, and a cool, energetic dude. This is really a great article that has many eye opening facts. I highly suggest you read this, it’s an example of some great Hip-Hop journalism.

In addition to the information about MHz, Table Scraps & Camu Tao, Copywrite also talks about his upcoming album The Life & Times of Peter Nelson.

You can read the original article here.

Check out these two brand logos and see if you can spot the similarity.

Font? Check!
Positioning? Check!
Word? Pretty damn close!

The differences are so slight that the cute little bear woudln’t be able to sue for copywrite infringement. That doesn’t sway the fact that the similarities are a little too close for comfort. All Snuggie needs now is a cute little blonde bear to pimp their product. I’m sure it’s been considered.

These days no one can get away with using copy written music. Even youtube is muting videos found using music that they do not have the rights to. The way to get around this is to make your own music. But if you are not musically inclined I would recommend downloading royalty free music.

When it comes to music creation there are several inexpensive solutions. If you are using a PC I would recommend checking out ACID Music. If you are using a Mac I would recommend GarageBand. Both of these programs are similar, you can create loops and put them into a song. If you need to make a song quick, they have a wide selection of premade loops to make your song. All the loops they supply are royalty free, so you won’t get in trouble for using them.

The final alternative is using free music production software. Some of these are shareware versions of a better product, so there are limitations like not being able to save or you can only use it for a certain amount of time. However, I did find a great music web tool. It’s the Hobnox Audiotool, it can make all kinds of different music and you use it strait from your browser. It uses a visual interface and it’s easy to get started so check it out.

Bugged out new video from Tame One Featuring Breeze Brewin & Aesop Rock (Weathermen) Molly off of Tame’s Acid Tab Vocab, which recently dropped on Amalgam Digital.

Download/Stream–>http://www.zshare.net/audio/621146766d7a00d9/#