Frequently Asked Questions;-Copywriting and Manual Directory Submission Services

You have got the questions, we have got the answers:

Assuming I’ve decided to go the freelance route, why should I hire you vs. another copywriter?

We have over 8 years of professional writing experience, and we bring not not only expert copywriting skills to the table, but also marketing acumen and business know how. We;ve written for hundreds of companies/individual and helped them get results.We can do the same for you

What copywriting services do you provide?

We write all types of copy.  You can learn more about our specific copywritingservices here.

Who are most of your current clients?

Our copywriting clients fall into two main categories. The first is marketing firms, because we are one, ad agencies and web site designers. These folks typically subcontract the copywriting work for their clients to us.

The second group is companies for which we work directly. These companies are extremely diverse. They range from professional service firms like accountants and real estate brokers, to manufacturers and high tech firms, to e-commerce and membership businesses.

How much do you charge for your copywriting services?

We quote each writing project individually because every project is different. We try to assess the complexity of a project and the level of expertise required.

Our rates are competitive. As direct response freelance writers, we work out of our home office, so our overhead is minimal, and that’s reflected in our prices.

What is your hourly rate for writing copy?

We get this question all the time, so let me explain our philosophy on pricing.  While we factor in the number of hours we’ll need to complete your writing project, we don’t charge for our copywriting services by the hour. There’s a reason for that.

The amount of time it takes us to write your copy is irrelevant. What is important to you is results. Right?

If you pay an exceptionally low rate for your copy but the copy doesn’t generate leads or sales for you, you’ve wasted your money. Wouldn’t you prefer to have paid a little more for copy that does the job and gives you a solid ROI?

The reason you hire a copywriter like us or me is not to save money. You’re paying us for the 8+ years of copywriting and marketing experience we have that ensures you’ll get high quality, professional copy that achieves your objectives. We base our fees on the value we  provide, not time.

In the long run, good copy doesn’t cost you money; it makes you money by effectively selling your products or services.

Will you give me a quote before the work begins?

Of course.  We recognize that budgets are tight and no one hands over a blank check to a service provider.

We’ll talk.  I or one of our team members will get an understanding of your copywriting project. Then my team and I will give you a firm quote, a timeline and send you our Copy Brief Questionnaire Form, to fill out and send back to us before work begins.

Our clients, without exception, feel they get excellent value for their money. In addition to great copy and first-rate service, they receive the benefits of our marketing expertise and business know-how.

What are your terms?

We require a 50% deposit up front for most copywriting projects. The balance is due upon project completion. After we’ve completed our first few projects together, we can discuss credit terms.

What types of payment do you accept?

We accept company check and electronic payments through PayPal or Payza. If you don’t have a PayPal or Payza account, you can still pay through PayPal and Payza using a Visa or MasterCard credit card. We can send you a link that makes the process super easy. Please be aware that Payza PayPal charges a fee of approximately 3%.

If you are based outside the Africa countries. We cannot accept a check. Payment must be made through PayPal or Payza. Prices are determined in dollars and then converted through PayPal or Payza into your country’s currency. Please be aware that PayPal or Payza charges an international money transfer fee, which is based on your country of origin.

We can also accept wire transfers from your bank to our bank, whether your bank is within the Africa countries or outside the Africa countries. Please ask for details on the bank fees and process.

Are you a B2B copywriter or a B2C copywriter?

We are both. Over the many years we’ve been in the business, we’ve had clients and projects that fell into both categories. That’s not to say that we accept every project. When we talk, I’ll ask you questions about your business, which require you to fill out Copy Brief Questionnaire Form. If we’re not a fit, I’ll tell you up front, after you return our Copy Brief Questionnaire Form. 

How would you describe your writing style?

We strive to be conversational.  We write as though we were speaking directly with the reader. That is why our direct response copywriters. Of course, different projects require difference voices, so we adjust our tone and vocabulary to the situation.

What makes you unique as a copywriter?

Other than our education and professional experience, we care about our clients and their success. We get wholly invested in every project we do. We look at the big picture but also pay attention to details. We think strategically but with a creative flair.

When we begin working together, you’ll find we ask lots of questions. More importantly, we listen to your answers. We want to understand your business model through our Copy Brief Questionnaire Form. We get up to speed quickly and deliver marketing insights that go well beyond writing a few pages of copy.

I’m looking for a copywriter long-term, someone I can give on-going work. Do you take on accounts?

Yes, we do.  Many of our clients have been with us for years; some for five years! They like that when they need any copywriting done — whether for a website, brochure, press release or product label — they don’t have to invest time bringing us up to speed on their products or services.

The process is completely hassle-free. They just contact us with their writing assignment, and with minimal direction, we get the job done right.

What is the typical process for having you write say a brochure or website for my firm?

I’ll usually want to speak with you by phone or one of our team. I’ll ask you a lot of questions related to your marketing objectives, your prospects, your customers and your competition. Most of these questions are through our Copy Brief Questionnaire Form.

We’ll obtain from you as much information as possible (written or verbal) to use in preparing your copy. We’ll then produce a first draft and await your feedback, then make revisions as needed. Only when you’re 100% satisfied with every single word do we consider the job done.

Do you meet with your copywriting clients?

Back when we started out as direct response freelance copywriters, we met with all of my clients who are more than 50 kilometers from our home office, and in fact, even had regular standing meetings with many of them to maintain the continuity of their marketing program.  That all changed now since 2012 when one of team member had a fatal accident and died in the spot, on the way to have a meeting with a client who have not even pay a dame for the project.

Most of my clients now are not local to Benin City, Lagos State, where we live.  They come from other states and other countries, having found us through a Google search for direct response copywriters.

We don’t meet in person.  We communicate via phone, email, Skype or Google Hangout.  Yes, we  miss some of the personal relationships we had with some of our clients.  However, those meetings, when combined with travel time, often ate up half a day or more.

Now we can be far more efficient.  We get more work done quickly and cost effectively, which our clients appreciate.

Additionally, from our perspective, we love having the ability to expand the reach of our business beyond our local area.  We’ve been able to work with all different kinds of companies from countries all over the globe.  We love the diversity.  It has made our work more interesting and exciting.

Will I have to sign a contract?

Yes. After we’ve discussed the parameters of your copywriting project, we’ll put together an agreement that summarizes the details including the price. The agreement is a good way for us both to ensure that we have the same expectations.

What comes first, design or copy?

This question comes up a lot, and there’s no right or wrong answer. If you already have a design or layout, we’ll work with it, making sure our copy complements and enhances it.

If you don’t have a design, I’ll draft copy and give recommendations for a layout. The bottom line is, whatever your situation, we’ll make it work so that the end result is a marketing piece you’re proud of.

In what form will you submit your copy?

We’ll provide the copy to you in MS Word sent via email.  If it needs to be placed into a brochure, onto a product label, or into a website, your designer/developer will handle that function or charge you for another cost of our manual data entry.

What happens if I don’t like the first draft of copy?

Usually we come pretty close to hitting the nail on the head, but if that’s not the case, it’s a problem easily solved. In fact, that’s really the purpose of writing a first draft. It helps us to clarify exactly what you do want. That first draft then becomes a starting point for us to get your feedback and write a second draft that’s more on target.

Some copywriting projects evolve.  They start as one thing and then grow in scope.  How do you handle this?

We provide a quote on the project based upon the parameters we discuss.  If during the production process the parameters change or the scope grows, then we’ll talk with you about adjusting the budget accordingly. We’re fair and expect that you will be too.

Does copy really matter all that much?  Don’t most people just look at pictures and headlines?

While pictures and the overall look of your marketing materials (website, brochure, ad, etc.) are important, they’re ineffective when they lack copy.

You must provide the information prospects, customers and others need to make their purchasing decision. If you don’t, your competitors will, and they’ll get the sale.

What kind of copywriting work do you like best?

Websites. We enjoy sinking our teeth into a massive amount of information and organizing it to be meaningful and effective.

Also, we truly believe in the value of the Internet as a marketing tool. We’ve spent the last 10-plus years studying the Internet and learning what gets results. Good copy is absolutely vital for getting placement on search engines and for converting prospects into customers.

I need copy that improves my site’s ranking on Google. Do you understand search engine optimization (SEO)?

Yes, we’ve been writing SEO copy for 8+ years and on-page and off-page website optimization (Manual Directory Submission). Our own websites, as well as those of many of our clients, rank on page 1 of Google in large part because of their written content.

We can assist you with keyword research. Or you can provide the keywords you wish to target, and we’ll produce quality copy that cleverly incorporates them.

In addition to page content, we can also write your title tags and meta-description tags, since they’re important elements of search engine optimization, that where our experience in on-page and off-page website optimization come in.

Will you be able to write about my business if you don’t have any direct experience in my field?

Yes. That is why we are team of experts in different skills and different positions. We’ll need to take some time to become familiar with the particulars of your business, its jargon, and your industry at large, but we don’t see that as a formidable task.

We enjoy doing research and will quickly get up to speed. More importantly, regardless of the business you’re in, the same basic marketing principles apply. It’s just a matter of adapting them to your particular situation.

We should add, too, that having been a full-time, direct response freelance copywriters for more than 8 years, our experience is broad. There’s a good chance we’ve written for a company in or related to your industry and can hit the ground running when we get started on your project.

Can you write an About Us page for my website?

Oddly enough, we are frequently asked to write About Us website pages, more so than any other type of page. Our guess is that many people have trouble writing about themselves. They struggle with how much to tell. They know this is the page where they should toot their own horn, but they don’t want to come across as bragging.

We enjoy writing About Us pages. However, as we are sure you can understand, we’ll need to start by interviewing you or someone knowledgeable in your company.

Usually, with a 30-60 minute phone interview, we’ll be able to glean enough information to put together a draft for your review. 

What if I already have a rough draft and I just need help with copy editing?

No problem. Let us take a look at what you have. We’ll give you recommendations for improvement and a quote for us to do the copy editing. If the copy really doesn’t need improvement, I’ll tell you for free.

Can I see some examples of your copywriting work?

Sure!  Just check out my copywriting portfolio here.

Do you have any references?

You can read testimonials from my clients here.  You can read reference letters from my clients here.  If you want to speak to any of our current copywriting clients, feel free to ask, and we’ll provide you with their contact information.

I know your specialty is direct response copywriting, but what if I also need help with other marketing services such as website design, brochure design and video production?

We frequently interact with other professionals in marketing-related areas. Often we can recommend you to a quality vendor. And, if necessary, we can coordinate with that vendor if a project involves combining copy with other media.

I’m curious, how do you get most of your copywriting clients?

Our clients come from a variety of sources:

• Referrals from existing clients
• Referrals from other professionals (i.e. web designers, graphic designers, programmers, etc.)
• Clients who search Google and find my copywriting website
• Sub-contract work from clients of marketing agencies, web designers and ad agencies

It sounds like you’re extremely busy.  Do you take on all copywriting projects?

No.  Between our existing clientele and sub-contract work, we stay relatively busy.  We fill any downtime with new clients who find us via a Google search.

However, we get far more new business requests than we can handle.   We accept the projects for which we are a fit and have time.  For the others, we offer to refer the clients to trusted colleagues who we know have the skills and experience to provide the same caliber of work that we would.

If you agree to take on my project, how soon can we get started?

That’s a loaded question. We usually have a queue of copywriting projects lined up. However, we do our best to give fast turnarounds.

If your project has a tight deadline, please let us know up front. We’ll tell you right away if we can accommodate your schedule.

Even if you’re not in a rush but would just like your project completed as soon as possible, we’ll give you a completion date so you know what to expect before we get started.

How long are turnaround times?

Our clients are usually impressed with how efficiently things get done. The turnaround will depend on the size and complexity of your work.

As I said previously, once we clarify the parameters of your project, we’ll give you a firm completion date. If you have a deadline to meet, please let us know up front, and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate you.

What if I live in another state (not Benin or Lagos like you) or country? Can we still work together?

Absolutely. While we do have many clients based in Nigeria and Ghana, and specifically our home city of Benin, we also work with companies from other states and other countries.

In fact, within the past few years we’ve completed copywriting projects for clients in Canada, England, Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Malta, Dubai UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

We work by phone, email, Skype or Google Hangout. The process moves along smoothly, as if we were both in the same city.

You mentioned your international clientele above. Why would a foreign company hire an Africa copywriter?

Many companies today sell their products or services outside their immediate geographic area. If their target market is the United States, England, Australia or some country that uses English as a first or second language, then they’ll want to build a website in English.

All Africans English speaking countries is widely accepted and understood. An Africa copywriter also understands all the literary and cultural nuances of the Africans and can write copy that resonates with fellow Africans.

Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement?  How about a non-compete agreement?

Yes.  You can provide those documents and we will sign them.  However, you should also know that we are extremely moral persons with a strong code of ethics.  That’s how we roll.

We would never intentionally do anything that could harm a client’s business or compromise a client’s trust in us.  For all the years we’ve been in business, we’ve never been sued or even threatened with a lawsuit by any of our clients.

Do you ever provide copywriting services to clients who are competitors?

As previously mentioned, we are an ethical person.  We also extremely loyal to our clients.  We would never do anything that could harm them or their business, and that would include working for a direct competitor of theirs.

If a competitor of an existing client calls us or if we sense taking on a new client could be a conflict of interest, we refer the new client to another freelance copywriter.  And yes, that has happened a number of times.

If I hire you to write copy for me, who owns that copy?

Everything we do is a custom job. You own the copyright on any copy that you’ve hired us to write for you. We’ll never give it to anyone else. And you can use it any way that you’d like.

In fact, our clients will frequently leverage their investment in professional copy by re-purposing it in a variety of materials.

For example, you may be able to take content we’ve written for your website and incorporate it into a sales letter. We want you to derive as much benefit as you can from the content we produce for you.

If I decide to work with you for copywriting, what should I do for the design aspects of my project?

We’ve worked in the marketing industry for a long time and have connections to many other professionals. If you hire us to write your website, for example, we can connect you to a talented web designer and developer (programmer).

If  we are working with you on the copy for your brochure, we can bring in a graphic designer for the layout and production work.

The professionals we recommend are folks we’ve worked with many times in the past. We have complete faith in their abilities and their dedication to producing only quality work. We can also assure you that these professionals will go out of their way to make sure you are 100% satisfied if they know you are our client.

• What are the benefits of submitting to Directories?

Directory Submission is a integral part of Search engine optimization and Internet Marketing Strategies which helps in increasing link popularity by getting one way in bound links.

• What are Directories?

Directories are human-edited search properties. Because the sites in a Directory are reviewed by people and compiled by subject category, they are considered a relevant, focused and topic specific source of credible information.

• Explain the main benefits of listing.

It’s a fast and affordable way to get one-way links. You attract buyers in your industry. They generate traffic for your website and good place to find promotional partners.

• Why Mdsubmitters for Directory Submission Service?

Manual Directory Submission is cost effective way of building one way links from thematic category of high quality website directories which also improve page rank, internet visibility, branding and drive relevant traffic which convert into sale.We offer manual directory submission service by our experts’ directory submitter having a vast experience of directory editing, building links and SEO. All submissions are hand submitted to free, no reciprocal, quality Internet web directories.

Hand submitting to directories as per there submission guidelines is a time consuming and tedious work. Our Professional manual directory submitter is best choice to get listed in free search engine friendly directories at reasonable cost.The goal of our directory submission services is to have the pages of your website included in the directory database with minimal editing by directory editors. Achieving this goal requires significant directory research and analysis which our directory editors and reviewers have as they are category editors of various directories like Zeal (LookSmart non-commercial), DMOZ (The Open Directory Project), JoeAnt, IndiaBook and others.

•  Do you offer Manual Directory Submission Outsourcing.

All SEO’s and Search Engine Optimization Companies can contact us directly for outsourcing their directory submissions and directory listings work to us. Since we are already doing work for many SEO Companies and know how such work can be handled efficiently for maximum client satisfaction. We even sign non disclosure agreements with our outsourcing partners. For any queries you can mail us at mdsubmitters@gmail.com

• Why should I opt for Monthly Directory Submit Services and do you offer new directories?

To maintain your rankings, listing and fast indexing in search engines you need continues building of links every month. With our monthly manual directory submission services you can achieve this. This service is for customers who has already availed directory submission services may be from us or other submission company. Every month there is announcement of new directories and we track these announcements and make your site submission in these directories to keep getting one way links.The chances of approval in new directories is also high and this gets more good results for your website. Minimum submission will be 50 directories a month.

• Do Mdsubmitters offers Bulk Directory Submission Packages?

Yes, we do offer. In this you can buy directory submission package from us in slots of 5000 submissions, 10000 submissions and so on and use these submissions for different web site urls over a period of time. You can use this package for as many multiple sites you want and per website url you can have your desired number of manual directory submission done. This saves you time for buying different package each time you want to order and also is more cost effective. You need not fill order form also for different sites, just send us the order in excel or work format and we take care of the same and maintain your account of directory submission For any queries on this bulk package you can mail us at mdsubmitters@gmail.com or use the form below to get in touch with us .

Let’s start a dialog. Either email us about your project or call. Together we’ll figure out the best approach. You don’t need to commit to work with us until we’ve put together a proposal with prices and a timeline.

 Our Expert Copywriting Services

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