So here it is:

We can generally split our development work into 3 types, which I will call Project development, Help desk & Internal development.

Project development refers mainly to the process of building websites from designs produced by our designers. This is a major stage of a project and is usually given to a developer as their main job. Depending on the size of the project, the developer could be kept busy for about 2 weeks – 4 months. Lesley Hays, Bluewire’s head developer, will normally develop the larger projects, while the medium-sized projects are often developed off-site by contractors, and smaller projects are often treated as Help desk type jobs.

The Help desk is currently manned by Sam and me, and between us we take care of Updates & Support, and the aforementioned smaller projects. Updates & Support in a nutshell is making changes to a client’s website or helping to resolve any problems that a client may be experiencing. We are constantly monitoring our Help desk inbox to make sure that we keep on top of our clients’ requests. Where possible, we try to resolve every case within a day or two.
So a typical day on the Help desk could be spent:

• Uploading new images, documents or videos to a website
• Adding a new page or updating the copy on an existing page
• Developing, testing and/or sending an EDM
• Giving phone support for client with email problems
• Training clients to use their website or CMS backend
• Working on assigned projects

Bluewire Media places great value on continuously improving and growing to better serve our clients. In that vein, Bluewire developers are constantly working on Internal development. We meet monthly to discuss ways to keep our skills sharp and our systems and methods up to date.

So there it is – that’s what we do. A job description for a Bluewire Media developer that I can rattle off to the next person I meet at the shops. If you like the sound of being a Bluewire Media developer, call 1300 259 394 or apply online.

When I interviewed Sarah about what she does, I found that she has great insight into the world of copywriting, but also that these skills can be applied to any area of writing.

What is so good about Copywriting?

Sarah has always loved writing of every kind and found throughout her schooling that it was a skill that came fairly naturally. There are lots of different areas of writing to master, so it’s always suitably challenging and you can move smoothly across a wide variety of media and careers. The mark of a good journalist is that you can write well about a whole range of things.

For Sarah, writing is all about taking an idea and then figuring out how to communicate it to an audience in the best possible way. Writing for web is just a new challenge and an exciting new area to tap in to.

How did you get involved in Copywriting?

When Bluewire was looking for a candidate for a Sales and Marketing position, Sarah applied because she had some marketing experience and was looking for a job that wasn’t hospitality. During her interview Sarah revealed that her passion was not so much for marketing, but for writing. Adam and Toby were so impressed that they created the new role of Copywriter.

Sarah set to work reading up on writing for web and SEO and steadily worked her way through her first project. And from there continued to grow in skill and professionalism.

What are the top 3 things that someone should know in order to be successful in Copywriting?

1. You need to have a direction in mind before you start writing – it’s important to know what you want your work to achieve.
2. Use language and tone which is suitable for the topic and the audience.
3. Edit your work a million times.

What is the best way to get started?

Keep a blog. This is a really good way to practice writing work that can be openly scrutinised. A blog is also a great ready-made example of your work that you can show to people.

Can you think of anyone who has set a good example or given good copywriting advice?

Glenn Murray, the author of SEO Secrets, is a Copywriter who managed to work his way to the top of the Google listing for search terms “seo copywriter”, “website copywriter,” “advertising copywriter” and very impressively, “copywriter.”

His book and his blog are great resources for writing search engine optimised web content specifically, but also general copywriting tips.

If you had one secret to give about Copywriting, what would it be?

The secret is that there are no secrets – everything you need to know is easily (and often freely) available on blogs etc.
Success in this area all comes down to practice and a certain amount of natural ability.

What sort of things can someone do to stay on top?

The most important thing is practice. Also keep on top of what other people are doing – blogs, books, workshops etc. Having a mentor is a good idea as well.

Can you recommend any further reading?

• Divine Write
• The Copywriter Underground
• Good Copywriting
• copyblogger

It started out slowly. Our first task set by the university was to write a CV and Cover Letter for a placement application. This had to be submitted to a lecturer and altered according to his feedback, so that I was 3 weeks into the semester before I had even applied for the position at Bluewire Media.

I went through the standard job application process, which consists of a questionnaire and exam, an Interview with Toby and Adam and ‘Running the Gauntlet.’ None of this was actually as scary as it had initially sounded.

So after my application was approved I started my work placement. It was at this point that I realised how little I had learned at uni. Feeling a little out of my depth, I took a ‘learn while doing’ approach which seemed to work well. I’m still quite amazed at how rapidly I was able pick things up simply because I was in a good learning environment.

When it got to the end of my placement, I felt that I had a good idea of how the industry works, gained lots of specific technical skills, some industry contacts, a CV entry and a good review. On top of this Adam and Toby actually offered me a full-time contract position at Bluewire.

I made a successful transition from study to work – win.

Bluewire Media was able to trial me for free for five weeks before hiring me – win.

I really think that doing work experience was the best possible way to finish my degree and it definitely turned out to be the win-win situation that I had hoped for.