What the People Say
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"The tutor was very experienced and knowledgeable. The participation helped me to learn more and enjoy the course... Excellent trainer... Tutor was very lively!... Instructor knew what she was talking about... Very nice, and not too pushy for you to join in... Allowed and encouraged participation, easy style... Excellent interactive experience, well-prepared, good material to take away"
Delegates on my 'creative writing' course
"Better than a thousand useless words is one single word that gives peace."
Buddha
100s of client comments
on my website
More reviews at:
Which Web Design Company
The Best Of Bromley
Review me at:
WeCanDo.Biz
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Links you'll love!
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Quick Links
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All my online profiles in one place (website, blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Ecademy & Facebook):
http://unhub.com
/JackieBarrie
Email me
Phone me
0845 899 0258
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Greetings!
One day I was sun-bathing. The next day, kicking up the leaves. Then drenched in a torrent. Don't know how it happened, but it seems Autumn is suddenly here.
Jackie
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20 Worst Website Errors
I compiled this list after I attended a speed networking event and reviewed all the other networkers' websites as a follow-up:
1. Don't include any case studies or testimonials even though they sell you better than anything you can say yourself
2. Have empty FAQs, despite them being among the most popular pages ever visited
3. Don't have an 'About us' page (although people do business with people and like to know who they're dealing with)
4. Don't have a picture of you (when YOU are what you are selling)
5. Use indirect language e.g. 'in order to allow the client to concentrate on their core business' instead of 'in order to allow you to concentrate on your core business' (direct language is more persuasive and appealing)
6. Include broken links because people love that '404 not found' page
7. Make the copy all about YOU and not enough about THEM e.g. 'We work closely with our loyal customers' instead of 'If you want to work closely with friendly local IT experts, you'll find our door is always open. We're here 24/7 at the end of the phone or email ready to help you'
8. Bury the most persuasive fact at the bottom of the page instead of putting it first or highlighting it in a visual way
9. Write 'For 17 years' instead of 'Since 1992' so the copy soon goes out of date
10. Use a free joomla site with a free hotmail, gmail or btinternet email address to make it look really unprofessional
11. Design a financial site in red and pink throughout (red = danger/debt), whereas blue is a better colour (for stability)
12. Don't offer any 'added value' e.g. glossary page, useful articles, hints and tips
13. Have lots of pretty Flash animations even though search engines can't 'read' them
14. Include plenty of irritating typos e.g. 'If your selling'
15. Have a range of inconsistent fonts and sizes, maybe even Comic Sans for real amateur effect
16. Don't answer 'what's in it for me' on the home page, so your visitors look elsewhere
17. Make a big deal of 'our values' and 'our mission statement' when they should be internal documents not customer-facing ones
18. Design the site so it breaks in any browser that's not Internet Explorer
19. Put the space in the phone number in the wrong place (it should be 020 8xxx xxxx)
20. Make the content dull so there's no stickability and no reason for inbound links or repeat visits
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Can you do better?
Rewrite this sentence in a covering letter to a prospective employer (no prizes, it's just for fun):
"Sir, I would hereby draw your esteemed attention to the way my talents are in tandem with your company's long-term goals."
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On a Personal Note
I knew I wanted to be a writer from the age of 13. After training as a journalist and years of working in the home shopping world (doing catalogue copywriting, sales promotion, marketing and internal communications), I founded Comms Plus in 2001. I'm a writer through and through. I love writing!
As well as client work, I've been writing this newsletter since summer 2003, and my blog since May 2007. My sister remembers me writing stories even when I was on holiday.
I still do! During this year's travels I've been compiling a book of marketing tips. I know I've said it before, but it's nearly ready, I promise. All I need is one more holiday...
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