Released on = March 27, 2006, 4:31 am

Press Release Author = Charlie the Copywriter

Industry = Small Business

Press Release Summary = Marketing copywriter, Charlie the Copywriter extends website
to showcase Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) for small and medium-size businesses.

Press Release Body = Launched in January 2006, Charlie-the-Copywriter.co.uk provides
professional copywriting and marketing services at affordable prices to small and
medium-size businesses (SMBs). Now receiving over a thousand visitors a month, the
website is gradually establishing itself with the SMB community. Writing and
syndicating SMB focused articles has played an important role in attracting visitors
to the fledgling website. CollegeCentral.com, America\'s leading entry-level job
site for small, midsize, and community college job seekers on the Internet, is just
one of the SMBs that finds Charlie-the-Copywriter.co.uk a useful source of "topical,
timely content".

Although a commercial site, Charlie-the-Copywriter.co.uk advocates Free/Open Source
Software (FOSS), believing it has an important role to play in the growth and
development of the SMB community on the Web. Charlie-the-Copywriter.co.uk now
offers visitors a dedicated FOSS section on the website. Intended to help start-ups
and established SMBs find useful, innovative free business software, the new FOSS
pages give information on everything from security and office productivity to the
potential benefits of CRM (customer relationship management).

For those unfamiliar with the acronym, FOSS refers as much to a philosophy as to
software applications. Freeware is proprietary software offered for free by the
vendor, usually under certain terms, conditions or restrictions. For example,
freeware might be offered in exchange for valuable user information, product
development or marketing insights. Open Source is a community or movement of
not-for-profit programmers, developers and users dedicated to sharing, developing
and improving the code or DNA of an application for everyone's benefit. To learn
more about FOSS visit the Free Software Foundation website at www.fsf.org or the
Open Source Initiative: www.opensource.org.

To have any chance of competing in today's global marketplace, small enterprises
need to present themselves in a wholly professional manner. That means clear,
consistent, persuasive marketing communications capable of attracting and retaining
customers. In fact, one of the most important priorities for any online business
should be its copywriting. However, many small businesses neglect hiring a
professional marketing copywriter, or simply cannot afford one. Instead, limited
financial resources get allocated to office equipment, software, and stock, for
example. But the cost of brand name software can quickly make a big whole in a
small company's available budget. Free Open Source Software offers a genuine,
reputable alternative.

On average, to create brand awareness, establish trust and build a dialogue with
target customers requires between 12 and 24 pieces of marketing material. It's also
seven times more expensive to recruit a new customer than it is to retain the
loyalty of an existing one. Either way, marketing, advertising and sales activity
costs money. And poorly researched, written, designed and placed marketing costs
money without any hope of a return. It's just money down the drain. Free Open
Source Software can provide the necessary tools to produce professional-looking
brochures and presentations or enable a business to build up an invaluable store of
customer information at no cost. Charlie-the-Copywriter.co.uk produces
attention-grabbing, though-provoking, sales generating copy that delivers results
affordably for small and medium-size businesses.

Visit http://www.charlie-the-copywriter.co.uk for more information.


Web Site = http://www.charlie-the-copywriter.co.uk

Contact Details = Contact
Charlie Trumpess
Charlie-the-Copywriter
33 Malvern Way
Croxley Green
Rickmansworth
Hertfordshire
WD3 3QQ
07757 438584
charlie@charlie-the-copywriter.co.uk
http://www.charlie-the-copywriter.co.uk