Many people know me best as an online copywriter, site optimization expert and coach.
I am all of those things, but I’m also an advisor and consultant to online startups and established online companies. This is something I have been doing since the late 1990s. Overall, I have been deeply involved with half a dozen or so companies, all in the business-to-consumer field, either as a paid consultant, or as a shareholder.
With these projects I am not the guy who actually does the copywriting or site optimization. My role is advisory, helping my clients take a view from 30,000 feet and translating their vision and their plan into an online platform that actually works.
What’s my value to these companies…or yours?
First, I have worked as an online writer, marketer, optimization expert, speaker and trainer with an awful lot of companies, including…
J. Paul Getty Trust, MSN.com, Technogym, Encyclopedia Britannica, New York Times, Country Financial, Adorama, Reuters, WebEx, Yahoo!, Intuit, Walt Disney Attractions, Association of American Publishers, Novartis Pharma, John Deere, National Cancer Institute, Merck & Co., Textron, and the Information Technology Media Advisory Council.
Second, and this is based on the feedback I have received from clients and partners alike, it seems I have a gift for seeing the online experience from the user’s point of view. In other words, I am good at helping companies create an online experience that actually works for their visitors and customers.
Here is some feedback from just three people I have worked with in this “30,000 feet” capacity.
“Something that’s stuck with me since working with Nick in the early Internet days of the 90’s was his insistence on maintaining clarity of voice and purpose, always with the customer in mind. But his ability to teach us how to do that made the real difference. Our success today is certainly based, in part, on Nick’s guidance.”
Jay Steinfeld, Founder/CEO, Blinds.com
"Ninety minutes expert chat with Nick Usborne provides more insights than a full day at most marketing conferences! He is an accomplished online marketer and copywriter, a passionate, brilliant consultant, and (crucially) a dream to work with."
Justin Deaville, CEO, Wordtracker
"The best writers are also clear thinkers who can distill complex issues and processes into something entirely more manageable. Nick does this well as a writer, certainly. But his talents apply more broadly to business as well. He has a real talent for seeing through the clutter, and recognizing what works and what doesn’t work when marketing online."
Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs.com
As I mentioned before, I have taken on just six or so projects of this kind over the last 14 years. That’s about one every two years. In other words, I’m picky.
The relationships I enter into either involve a shareholding, particularly in the case of startups, or a fee.
To make myself a little less attractive as a consultant, I don’t much like to travel. So I do most of my work by phone.
If you are still interested, I’m guessing it’s because you really, really want to work with me in particular. And that’s the way I like it.
