About Me
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Most of the people I work with make, distribute, or sell something (products), or they do something for other people or businesses (services).
My job is to explain what you make, distribute, sell, or do for others into carefully crafted words, telling the story of your product, service, or brand in a way that attracts new clients and increases engagement with existing customers. . |
My Background
I have had a passion for words, writing, and storytelling for as long as I can remember.
From a young age, I wrote stories, essays, poems, short plays and almost anything in between. In my late teens and early twenties essay writing developed into crafting short stories (still my favourite form of writing).
For much of my adult life, I wrote creatively in my free time while working in the consumer electronics industry for 17 years. 15 years of that time were spent as a line/department manager in the local operations or distributorships of major international brands e.g. Samsung, LG, Sony, Boston Acoustics, Rotel, Russound & Loewe. I have managed customer service, national spare parts and reverse logistics operations with staff complements ranging from 5 to 30.
During that time, my work often required a fair amount of business writing, which I naturally gravitated towards, and I became quite accomplished at writing instruction manuals, training manuals and other materials, reports, presentations etc.
At the end of 2009 I left the corporate world and combined my love of creativity, my writing skills and my business experience by becoming a full-time freelance copywriter and web content writer.
I now write a variety of materials for organisations that recognise that effective communication is one of the key drivers of business growth.
Core Skills
- Learning about and assessing the products and services provided by clients, then writing engaging copy that clearly shows potential customers the value of the offering and how it will solve a problem or improve things for them
- Taking complex, technical, jargon riddled source material and rewriting/summarising it in a way that makes it more accessible, especially to the layman.
- Researching topics and presenting key information in a clear, logical, easy to understand manner
- Writing in a style and tone that is appropriate for your business and industry, and that resonates with your customers
- Finding and developing ideas for interesting, useful content
How I Work
Wherever possible, I prefer to form long-term relationships with clients – ideally on a regular work/retainer basis. This allows me to allocate blocks of time to the client in advance, prioritise their work, and guarantee availability. Having an ongoing relationship with a client, and doing regular work for them, also means that I become very familiar with the business and industry.
This does not mean that I don’t take on ad hoc work or once-off projects. I do, provided the brief clear and interesting, and the job big enough to justify investing time in researching and learning about a product, business or industry if necessary.
As a general rule, I don’t take on jobs that would take less that one full day to complete.
My preferred type of client is an owner-run, mid-sized business that is committed to growth and recognises the value of high-quality copy and content. I do also work with larger corporate organisations, and in that case my preference is for businesses where department/business unit managers have a high degree of autonomy.
I have found that working directly with decision-makers rather than junior staff that need to approve everything through a long chain of command produces much better results.
I am also a firm believer that a vague brief is the surest way to end up with misunderstandings, unmet expectations, and unhappiness (on both sides of the relationship).
Establishing a clear brief, with timelines, upfront makes it clear what exactly is expected and by when.
How I charge
I prefer to quote and charge a fixed fee per project or piece of work, based on the client-supplied brief or mutually agreed parameters (where there is no proper brief).
This way costs are clearly stipulated up front, the client can assign budget to the job, and there are no nasty surprises at the end of the process.
Once my quote has been accepted, I will complete the work at the agreed price, even if it takes me a little longer than I anticipated. This is provided that the delay is not due to factors beyond my control, e.g. the client changing the brief or specifications during the project. Should this happen, I may need to re-quote or add on a surcharge to cover extra work required as a result.
Terms
As a general rule, I require a 50% deposit before adding a project to my work schedule, with the balance of quoted costs payable on completion/handover.
Quotes are valid for 30 days – thereafter I may have to re-quote if the situation requires.
Making sure that each client is happy with the material I provide is a priority for me, so I will make up to two sets of reasonable, minor changes for no extra charge. However, this does not mean that I will do a free rewrite as a result of a vague or incorrect brief, or because the client has changed direction on a marketing campaign, or forgotten to include pertinent information in the brief etc. in those cases I reserve the right to quote for the additional work.
Contact Me Now to discuss your Copywriting and Website Content needs.
Career History & CV/Resume
Main Attributes:
What I Bring to the Table:
Some examples of my past work can be seen at www.darrellcuthbert.com/samples
Current Position/Occupation: Freelance Copywriter, Website Content Writer, and Content Marketing Consultant (Self-employed)
1 December 2009 – Present
Although I have written many types of material in the last 14 years, I have gradually gravitated towards specialising in high-quality website content, mostly for medium-sized businesses in various industries and sectors. This type of writing is invaluable for modern businesses (if often underrated). I enjoy it, and I’m good at it.
This usually takes the form of:
Once-Off/Initial Projects
Full Website Content Copy Deck for new websites, or website re-development, consisting of content for all core pages (e.g., Home, Products/Services pages, FAQ, About, Contact, etc). Includes keyword research, online competitor analysis, and content plan (aligned with existing business and marketing plans and future growth objectives)
Ongoing Content Creation (content marketing)
Work samples at www.darrellcuthbert.com/samples
Previous Career History
Before working as a full-time freelance writer, I worked for several businesses, mostly global players in the consumer electronics industry. However, I always wanted to write full-time one day and have been writing, in one form or another, for as long as I can remember.
Although I much prefer the type of work I do now, my previous experience taught me valuable skills. It provided a solid understanding of business processes, challenges, best-practice models, and more. This background has proven very useful to me, as most of my time is spent creating content for businesses in various industries.
Marketing Manager - Mangwanani African Spa Group
18 September 2013 - 31 December 2013
I initially wrote marketing and business development material for Mangwanani as a freelancer, and this developed into an almost full-time arrangement. When the company’s marketing manager left on fairly short notice, I was asked by the owner/CEO to step in and take over the role on a caretaker basis, with a view to a long-term arrangement.
I learned a lot in the few months I was in this position and made several valuable contacts, but when my initial three-month contract came to an end, I opted to leave and return to freelancing as I was not comfortable with the management style and internal culture of the company.
LG Electronics South Africa
The Soundlab (Pty) Ltd (Custom Electronics Importer / Distributor)
Sony South Africa
Samsung Electronics South Africa
South African Meat Board
Military Service
South African Defence Force (SADF)
Education
- Passionate writer, researcher, and reader.
- Creative mindset.
- Solid business background and experience gained before transitioning to writing full-time.
What I Bring to the Table:
- Plenty of experience writing website copy (full website copy decks are my forte), company blog posts, SEO focus pages, product pages, marketing and sales materials, product/offering overviews, company profiles, and others.
- Good skills related to associated tasks, e.g. keyword research, online competitor analysis, content planning (full website, page sets, etc.), developing on-page SEO strategy, etc.
- Two decades of real-world business experience before my copywriting days mean I’m not just a copywriter who knows nothing else. I understand the way businesses operate and what’s important to them and their customers – giving me a useful dual perspective.
Some examples of my past work can be seen at www.darrellcuthbert.com/samples
Current Position/Occupation: Freelance Copywriter, Website Content Writer, and Content Marketing Consultant (Self-employed)
1 December 2009 – Present
Although I have written many types of material in the last 14 years, I have gradually gravitated towards specialising in high-quality website content, mostly for medium-sized businesses in various industries and sectors. This type of writing is invaluable for modern businesses (if often underrated). I enjoy it, and I’m good at it.
This usually takes the form of:
Once-Off/Initial Projects
Full Website Content Copy Deck for new websites, or website re-development, consisting of content for all core pages (e.g., Home, Products/Services pages, FAQ, About, Contact, etc). Includes keyword research, online competitor analysis, and content plan (aligned with existing business and marketing plans and future growth objectives)
Ongoing Content Creation (content marketing)
- Evergreen Content
- Additional Website Pages
- SEO Focus Pages
- Content Bank Articles
- Topical Content
- Company Blog Posts
- Email Marketing Campaign Content
- Newsletter Articles
- Social Media Content
- Related Services
- Content Strategy and Planning
- Website/Blog/Social Media Editorial/Publishing Calendars
- Email Newsletter Set Up and Management
Work samples at www.darrellcuthbert.com/samples
Previous Career History
Before working as a full-time freelance writer, I worked for several businesses, mostly global players in the consumer electronics industry. However, I always wanted to write full-time one day and have been writing, in one form or another, for as long as I can remember.
Although I much prefer the type of work I do now, my previous experience taught me valuable skills. It provided a solid understanding of business processes, challenges, best-practice models, and more. This background has proven very useful to me, as most of my time is spent creating content for businesses in various industries.
Marketing Manager - Mangwanani African Spa Group
18 September 2013 - 31 December 2013
I initially wrote marketing and business development material for Mangwanani as a freelancer, and this developed into an almost full-time arrangement. When the company’s marketing manager left on fairly short notice, I was asked by the owner/CEO to step in and take over the role on a caretaker basis, with a view to a long-term arrangement.
I learned a lot in the few months I was in this position and made several valuable contacts, but when my initial three-month contract came to an end, I opted to leave and return to freelancing as I was not comfortable with the management style and internal culture of the company.
LG Electronics South Africa
- Returns Manager (Reverse Logistics): 1 December 2008 - 30 November 2009
- Spare Parts Manager (National): 1 August 2005 - 30 November 2008
The Soundlab (Pty) Ltd (Custom Electronics Importer / Distributor)
- Administration/Support Services Controller: 15 April 2004 - 31 July 2005
Sony South Africa
- Spare Parts Manager (National): 1 April 2000 - 31 July 2003
- Deputy Manager, National Spare Parts Centre (JHB): 1 November 1999 - 31 March 2000
- Branch Spare Parts Controller (Durban): 1 December 1998 - 31 October 1999
Samsung Electronics South Africa
- Assistant Spare Parts Manager (National): May 1998 - November 1998
- Customer Service Manager – Gauteng: December 1995 - April 1998
- Acting Service Manager: August 1994 - November 1995
- Customer Service Coordinator: January 1993 - July 1994
South African Meat Board
- Hides & Skins Grader: April 1992 - December 1992
- Abattoir Official: July 1990 - March 1992
Military Service
South African Defence Force (SADF)
- National Service: Corporal - Provost School: February 1988 – December 1989
- 5 camps/call-ups (30 days each) 1990 - 1993
Education
- Queensburgh Boys High School: 1983 - 1987 (Senior Certificate/Matric)
- Northdene Primary School: 1981-1982
- Sarnia Primary School: 1975-1980
