Today we’d like to introduce you to David C Justin.
David, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I earned a B.A. in public relations and journalism but I didn’t use it much after college because I joined one of the big telecom companies as a service representative. After 18 years, I left the company in June 2019 as part of a surplus (layoffs).
Back in 2012, I was writing a personal blog about my observations on life when someone I went to high school with reached out. He’d been reading my blogs and thought I had a talent for writing. He offered me a gig editing and writing website copy and blog content for his new website development company.
Since then, I’ve slowly been building my business, learning everything I could about copywriting, content creation and marketing, while creating long-lasting relationships with my clients.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with all things, there are definitely ebbs and flows to the business. The biggest obstacle in the past was time as I had a full-time job. There were a lot of lost opportunities because I couldn’t make myself available for client calls or meetings during the day.
This isn’t like a corporate job where a company puts you through training courses. Everything I know I’ve had to discover on my own, whether that’s been through books, online courses or peer groups on Facebook. But that has given me the chance to learn the skills that will bring the most value to my business.
There were dry spells where there just wasn’t any work coming in, especially during the first few years when my client base was very limited because I was still working full-time. But as my business has grown, so has my client list, which means that I currently have long stretches where I go from project to project to project with little or no downtime in between.
Please tell us about The Copygeek.
I’m a copywriter, a person who creates content that is written to persuade or convince the reader to take a specific action – buy something, click a link, follow a social media account, vote for someone, etc. The best copy (content) accomplishes this by creating an emotional connection with audience, sympathizes with their pain points and/or offers a solution to their problem.
I specialize in writing website copy that is customer-driven, persuasive and conversational in tone. The most common problem I come across is that too many companies think that their website should be all about themselves, what they’ve accomplished and what they do. They don’t take into account that people visiting their site self-identify when they shop for products or services. People don’t care about how awesome a company is. They want solutions to their problems. So if a company addresses their customers’ pain points and offers solutions to those challenges, they have a much better chance of creating a bond with them, converting them from lead to prospect to customer.
I primarily work with digital marketing agencies, public relations firms and website developers. While they’re masterful at creating marketing strategies, campaigns and websites, they don’t always have a dedicated copywriter within their organization. In addition to working with these types of clients, I also spend a considerable amount of time writing for technology and health/wellness companies.
One of my proudest professional moments occurred when I did a site copy rewrite for a digital marketing agency. One of the principals told me I put some phrases together that really got to the core of what they’ve been trying to tell their clients and prospects.
In addition to website copy, I also write blogs, email sequences and case studies. Plus, I audit website content breaking down client’s website to tell them everything they’re doing right and what they could improve.
One of the key things that sets me apart is my personal branding. I’ve been a huge Star Wars fan my entire life. At my core, it’s one of the things that defines me. So when my copywriting business started growing, I was in need of a rebrand. I combined my business and my love of Star Wars to create The CopyGeek – Copywriter and Star Wars Geek. I’ve been able to incorporate my Star Wars collection into my operation, creating fun and humorous images that I can tie into lessons on copywriting, marketing and business. And it never ceases to amaze me that I make so many emotional connections with prospects over a shared love of everything that happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I’m not sure if I have just one. I loved watching Star Wars movies as a kid and would watch them every chance I could. In fact, seeing Star Wars at the drive-in movies with my parents is one of my earliest memories. To this day, it’s still something that my mom and I bond over. And of course, I introduced my daughters to it as soon as they were old enough. I also enjoyed playing soccer, camping with my family, playing in the band in high school, and of course, playing with Star Wars toys.
Contact Info:
- Website: thecopygeek.com
- Phone: 2145668359
- Email: david@thecopygeek.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecopygeek/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecopygeek/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcjustin/
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
