Hiring a professional to help you with your website copy will be worth every penny and I will tell you why.

The number one reason that sites fail to launch on time is due to NON-CONTENT delivery. Ok maybe not the number one reason, but it is right up there. Think about it- you have been trying to write your About page for over a month and you just can't get it done. You are getting more and more frustrated about it and with yourself. Perhaps you and your web developer seem to be at odds because she keeps asking you for the content that will show up on your home page before she can implement the functionality and you just can't understand why.

If the written content is what is holding up your website project then you ought to think carefully about hiring a writer who understands SEO, website usability and marketing strategy.

A good content writer will help you:

1.    Take what you have written, uncover the gems and create effective copy that works for the web. After all, writing for the web is so much different than writing for a brochure, writing a white paper or even a sell sheet. It needs to be catchy and to the point. It also needs to reflect your business philosophy and style. You may have all the critical pieces in your copy, but having it reorganized and consolidated may be all you need to make your home page pop!

2.    Write about yourself and your business. Writing about you can be one of the hardest parts of the whole site. I guarantee that if you are writing about yourself, you are not going to give yourself nearly enough credit for your skills or your accomplishments. I am no exception to this rule and openly admit that I call on others to help me write about myself.

First you need someone who you can trust so you can explain your accomplishments. Secondly, you need to get over the fact that you are bragging because guess what?- this is your big chance to gain credibility with clients and potential clients.

3.    Let go of the control factor. At some point in the project you will realize that giving up control over the content to someone who can capture your message and style and clearly convey that to your target audience will allow you to focus on your business and bring in the paying work. This is a very hard thing to do and I certainly realize that this may sound like crazy talk to some. But, if you are holding up the launch of your website, you are missing out on valuable opportunities and income.

Don't let the cost of a writer be the reason that you don't pursue working with one, because it will ultimately save you time and money in the end. Not only will you be happy, but your web developer will also be happy. From content development to proper and effective web placement, a writer may be just what you need to motivate you to get your new or revised site launched! Ask you web developer for recommendations.

This economy is challenging us to rethink how we do business, how we market our business and how we can overcome financial challenges that result in the first two. If you are you ready to boost morale, shake up your marketing materials and get yourself and your team out of an economic depression, then try using imagination as the instigator.

When was the last time you just started playing a silly game with your kids? Perhaps you were making up a new song? Perhaps you were playing blocks and creating a new village. When I was a kid we used to play word games, we made up limericks, heck we made up all sorts of games to challenge one another and also to pass the time whenever we were in the car or before dinner or during a thunderstorm...

Man, there is nothing more fun than using your imagination to make yourself or others laugh. Have you ever tried it with adults? Business partners? It gets the juices flowing and once you have engaged your brain in that capacity, you will find it begin to work overtime in other areas of your life.

Brainstorming is a perfect example of using your imagination. The best way to approach it is to lay the groundwork that anything goes. There are no bad ideas (well there may be, but sometimes those lead to very good ones). After you do it once and get the hang of it, continue to do it on a regular basis. It may just be the ticket to overcoming the bad news blues. Try it!

Here's an example you can use with your team to boost morale:
Step 1: "What makes our company great?"
Step 2: Now that you have a long list of things that make you great- make up a new word that encapsulates it.  "Our company is ________!"

(Idea: after brainstorming with the group, leave the notes up in the break room or somewhere accessible and ask the team to think about a new word and come back to you with their submissions by the end of the day. Then you can compile all of them in a fashion that suits the company. Have something ready for when they arrive to the office the next day. (Your turn to use your imagination.)

When I was a kid we always said that if you assume- you will make an a** out of you and me. It seems like a silly thing to say, but it really is something to consider in a variety of instances.

Never assume the worst of somebody or of a situation-There are times when things go wrong in life. Mistakes are made or bad things happen. That does not mean, however, that the person you think is at fault.
•    The next time you feel like you need to confront someone about something you assume to be their fault, take a step back and give them the benefit of the doubt first.  Ask them what has occurred before going into a rant about how they may have gotten to the end result.

Never assume that you know someone- How often have you made a snap judgment about someone based on what they are wearing, the friends they are hanging around with or where they work?
•    You may miss an opportunity to meet someone really cool if you never even take the time to get to know him/her because you have based a judgment on the superficial. You may even be given the chance to see things from a new perspective, especially if they turn out to be different than you assumed.
Ask questions first, and save making your judgment until after the facts are on the table.

I am an eternal optimist- there is no doubt about that. You can ask anyone that knows me at all. Being an eternal optimist just means that I try to see the bright side of things, try to find solutions to problems instead of getting buried in the fact that there is a problem and that I try to make things work.

Taking a leap of faith, however, is a little bit different in my book. Taking a leap of faith is when you have to put your future in the hands of others or in the hands of some higher power knowing that there is a slight chance for failure, but a bigger chance for success.

This does not mean that you should just jump off a cliff to see where you might land. It means that you should look long and hard at making a tough decision. If at the end of the day you know in your heart that the chance for success far outweighs the risk, then you should seriously consider taking that leap. Scary as it may be, there are probably few times in your life that you will have to take this kind of step, and as long as you are prepared to accept the result of the success as well as the consequences of failure, then you will be just fine.

I am ready to make changes in my life because I know that I will not be able to live with myself if I ever have to think: "How would my life be today if I had just taken that leap?" I don't want regrets and that is just what will happen if I choose to stand with my feet firmly planted on the ground instead of on my toes ready to take that jump!