Building an Online Business
This is a short story about how I became an English copywriter while the world seemingly fell to pieces…
Jade Victoria Copywriting is a brand born out of luck and timing. With the world in tatters and – dare I say – these unprecedented times still looming over us, I was able to build something from nothing.
The Beginning
It wasn’t truly from nothing. In fact, I was placed on furlough by a company I was working as a customer service employee in. And, luckily, my furlough contract was one of those that was poorly written. Meaning I made use of the grey lines of furlough practice. The government guidelines stated a furloughed employee could continue working in another job as long as it did not benefit the role they were furloughed from. And, my contract didn’t quite patch up this area, meaning I was free to freelance in lieu of building an online business.
Just before all the mayhem and impending lockdown in the UK, I created an online profile with a freelancing site. Here I began selling my services as an English copywriter. Then, like a fisherman with high-end bait, there was a catch. After a couple of orders for an LA-based photographer, my freelancing career was off. Being furloughed was simply a blessing in disguise.
With my newfound free time, I decided to detach myself from the sofa and knuckle-down with the freelancing site. This short furlough ended up lasting six months; a time well spent accumulating portfolio pieces and acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to handle a recurring client base.
As it happens, the company from which I was furloughed ended up halving their staff causing mass redundancies and panic. Yet, this event atop being an in-demand English copywriter simply increased my momentum towards building an online business. And, here we are.
For the first entry to the Jade Victoria Copywriting blog, I wanted to talk you through the major milestones that allowed me to get here in such a short space of time. And, hopefully, give you some pointers towards doing the same thing.
Creating a Portfolio
Taking a look back into the history of Jade, I completed a Media, Culture and Communications degree requiring a short-term placement module. It was during this placement with a global travel company where my goals and aspirations suddenly spearheaded toward becoming a copywriter. I realised I enjoyed researching, writing and optimising copy.
So, when I created my online profile with the US-based freelancing website, my intentions were to slowly build a portfolio that would stand me in good stead for applying to full-time copywriting roles in the UK.
And, whether you intend to head into the realm of freelancing, creating a business or simply finding the requirements for a job application, portfolio building is the way to go.
As a native English copywriter, my services for well-researched, unique and free-hand copy were in demand. This popularity is what propelled the ambition to start a business. When I realised that full-time writing for an array of global brands could bring so much joy.
Knowing the Demand
After being in the freelancing ring for just a short period of time, you can begin to understand the trend in demand from companies and what you can be expected to write.
For example; there were many brands based in the UK, Hong Kong or Australia who requested American-English copy in order to increase their overall SEO. There were others who simply wanted to score Google Analytics points rather than develop an interesting blog for their customers and there are some very strange requests, too.
Using these trends in orders, you can tailor the services you provide while using key search terms to drive your website copy. Here is where I get out of hand and plug the Jade Victoria Copywriting services, further.
During this time, you’ll also build thicker skin to account for clients who – for reasons of their own – will try to obtain free work, request more than is on offer or simply refuse to be a kind and cooperative person. But, that’s only about 10% of the people so far encountered. The majority of folk will be over the moon about being able to receive well-researched and optimised articles from an English copywriter as opposed to the DIY approach.
Developing a Brand
It was only after the sudden release of my chains from the world of payroll customer service where the need for a brand came to light. At the time of the redundancy, the economy had fallen and job options throughout the region were shrinking. So, in a lapse of confidence, I decided to build a brand as a secondary institution from my work through the freelancing platform.
It was an easy choice given my competition in the industry. Other freelancers would simply use their name suffixed by the word ‘copywriting’. So, it was time to jump on the bandwagon.
Then, it was a case of understanding what I would be offering, what my brand identity could be and how my logo would look. After some careful consideration and strong imposition from certain family members, it looked like it would be a hand-written signature. Look at freelance services online, and it was done. Two days later I had my brand. The next would be to look for a platform.
Finding a platform was a difficult choice. As someone who is still open to being headhunted for full-time roles within a company, it was important I put my best foot forward and – yet again – followed the trends. Looking at companies hiring, I found they would always want a superb candidate with experience using the WordPress platform. So, the choice was made for me. Do I regret it? Every day. That’s why I recently made the swap to Squarespace and it is blissful.
When you’re developing a brand, there are some key aspects you need to consider. Using these, you’ll build everything you need to create an effective platform for communication. Have a look:
Name
Logo
Platform
Email
Brand Voice
Services
Plug-Ins
Colour Scheme
Environment
Customer Service
Testimonials
Website Copy
Target Audience
Blogs
Terms of Service
Unique Selling Point (USP)
Showcasing the Effort
Finally, it’s time to present to the world my website. As someone who has never built a website, it looks ok. As someone looking at the website, it’s ok. But, for now, it is the conclusion of my efforts as a baby brand in English copywriting. My role in this world is to write and optimise copy for a website, not to make the website.
Building an online business will always involve the release date. If you like, it can be a launch or premier. Or, if you’re like me, it could be the case of silently publishing the site and sharing across a few social media platforms and to some repeat clients. Understanding how each of these methods can benefit your brand is a key part of the process.
For example; a slow and steady release provides a toe-tipping approach to seeing a truthful organic reach. Instead of watching a boom throughout the first week and a drop thereafter.
On the other hand, a brand that launches can offer higher leads from the get-go. And, if you’re a brand or freelancer looking to sell a tangible product that a client can hold and experience, this can be the monetary boost a start-up needs in order to continue production.
But, the main focus of showcasing your efforts after building an online business is deciding which platforms will provide the right platform. Will it be LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram TikTok or a mixture of everything? For me, as you may or may not be aware, it was a case of keeping to the professional social links of LinkedIn and Facebook. Otherwise, it’s down to my efforts with organic marketing to build the new client base.
Opening Jade Victoria Copywriting
It is surprising – to me – the simple process of building an online business as an English copywriter. Whereby, my most substantial hurdle was time. With ongoing orders through my freelancing site, it was very difficult to dedicate myself to the website. Not only this but to separate myself from the idea that, while I wasn’t making money at this time, I wasn’t losing money, either.
And, here we are; welcome to Jade Victoria Copywriting.
