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Jo Duxbury's profile on Bizcommunity

Jo Duxbury has been providing a platform for marketers to find over 4500 industry freelancers since she launched her company, Freelancentral, in early 2006. January 2010 saw her launch Peppermint Source, which offers a full outsourced marketing strategy and management service to companies that don't have the time, skills or staff to handle their marketing themselves. Follow @JoDuxbury on Twitter.
SOUTH AFRICA
Google vs gut: how to screen clients

[Jo Duxbury] Whether you're a big agency, or a small one, or a freelancer, chances are that when a new client starts nosing around, contemplating working with you, they'll do some background checking. After all, they're going to be giving you money and they need to know you'll be able to deliver what they order. Funny, though, how rarely this screening happens in reverse.

Posted 1 year ago | Like (4)
SOUTH AFRICA
Why is there so much bad language on social media?

[Jo Duxbury] I don't mean four-letter words and the awful vitriol in News24.com's comment section. I mean the multitude of typos, spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and disregard for punctuation that pepper Facebook and Twitter.

Posted 1 year ago | Like (1)
Jo Duxbury commented on Are direct marketers better than marketers?
Is nobody else a bit disturbed by that final paragraph? I wonder why not having debt means you're out of the mainstream economy? Does 'bring back into the mainstream economy' mean 'saddle them with debt like the rest of the masses'?!

Anyone heard of the National Credit Act?
Posted 2 years ago | Like
Jo Duxbury commented on Get the most out of your freelance copywriter/editor
Tiffany, you've got this spot on :-)

Many clients don't see the value of getting their copy professionally written or edited, but it truly is a skill and can add so much to your communications. There's no point spending thousands on beautiful design or a great web site, only to undermine your credibility with text that's peppered with spelling and grammar mistakes, or copy that's clunky and difficult to digest. Getting an outsider - a professional writer/editor - to review your copy may also help you spot the little gems in your offering that you perhaps can't see as you're too close to your business.

At the very least, clients should hire a professional copy editor to 'sanity check' and proofread their copy. The Facebook group 'I judge you when you use poor grammar' is nearly half a million members strong... that's pretty telling :-)
Posted 3 years ago | Like
Jo Duxbury commented on Global ad contest to promote Brand SA
Will each contributor be paid for his/her submission? No? Then this is spec work and should not be condoned.

Funny how it's OK to ask creatives to spend hours on a submission with only a teeny chance of possibly getting some payment for it... can't see that happening with accountants, plumbers, doctors, personal trainers, etc.

Yet another instance of creatives being exploited. For more about why spec work is bad for creatives and our industry, visit http://www.no-spec.com
Posted 3 years ago | Like
SOUTH AFRICA
[2010 trends] Freelancing and outsourced marketing

[Jo Duxbury] Freelancing is not for sissies - particularly not at the moment, where the market is awash with creatives who became involuntary freelancers following last year's redundancies. In 2010, the fittest WILL survive - and thrive - and clients can take their pick from a seriously talented pool of creatives who will be upping their games to get an edge over the competition.

Posted 3 years ago | Like
Jo Duxbury commented on Ten hidden gems for improving your business writing in 2010
Great article, Tiffany. I particularly like your suggestion about the bullet points - they make for much easier reading and in this age of short attention spans and busy schedules, you have a better chance of getting your point(s) across if they're bulleted, rather than buried in prose.

If my clients are being wordy, I challenge myself to rewrite their copy in half the number of words. Usually it's entirely possible to do so without losing any meaning. 'Keep it short and simple' is a good motto - again, short attention spans demand it. Sometimes more than 140 characters feels verbose... :-)

And of course, I agree that outsourcing is a GREAT idea! We've got tons of freelancers over at www.freelancentral.co.za and have also just launched a full service outsourcing division - www.peppermintsource.com.
Posted 3 years ago | Like
SOUTH AFRICA
Jellybeans and Tabasco: a recipe for loyal customers, memorable brands

[Jo Duxbury] Your customers are potentially your best salespeople. If you want to get them talking positively about your brand, consider thoughtful, low-cost, high impact touches that will surprise and delight them.

Posted 3 years ago | Like
Jo Duxbury commented on Freelance media group SAFREA 10 years old
Congratulations on 10 years supporting SA's freelancers and on the great work that you do. Here's to many more :-)
Posted 3 years ago | Like
SOUTH AFRICA
Ten ways to secure a great job in a recession

[Jo Duxbury] When times are tough, competition for the jobs that ARE available increases. I've seen from recent experience that people are applying for positions for which they are not qualified - and rushing to get as many applications in as possible means that they don't read the instructions properly.

Posted 4 years ago | Like

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