Posted by on Nov 10, 2008 in
Marketing Having a steady workload is a freelance writer’s dream. It’s can also be his nightmare. It’s easy to get complacent when you have enough work and become lax on your marketing efforts. You think the work’s going to last, so you’re pretty shocked when it dries up. You have no new projects on the horizon and you’ve got to go extra hard on marketing to get some work lined up quickly. Hope you have some money in an emergency fund because it might take you some time to get some projects (and pay) rolling in.
That’s why it’s important to continually market yourself no matter how comfortable you may be with the work you’re currently doing. You never know when a job is going to end. Contract or not, things happen, Murphy’s law ruins the best laid plans. Don’t ever put marketing on the backburner. Always do something, even if it’s something small, to let clients know about you and what you can provide.
Posted by on Nov 2, 2008 in
Marketing When you buy a product or pay for a service, you’re not just buying that product or paying for that service, you’re spending your money on something more.
When I bought a new laptop a few months ago, I wasn’t simply buying a laptop, I was buying a vital tool to guarantee my income.
When I paid the movers to ship my furniture a few months ago, I was paying for the peace of mind knowing my things would get to their destination safely without much work for me.
What are your clients buying from you? They’re not just buying articles or web copy or press releases. They’re buying something beyond that. If you want to convince clients to hire you, you have to know what you’re selling.
Posted by on Oct 8, 2008 in
Marketing Your writing portfolio is like a sales catalog for your services. Think about what you like to see when you look at sales papers. They should be fresh, timely, and include the most updated prices and products. The same goes for your writing portfolio.
You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t look at it regularly to make sure it’s representing you well.
Once or twice a month, set aside some time to review your online writing portfolio. Check these things:
- Contact information. Is it still accurate?
- Services. Have you added any new services or removed services?
- Rates. If you list rates on your portfolio, make sure they’re up to date.
- Samples and clips. As you complete work, think about adding and removing samples from your portfolio. Make sure your portfolio includes the best of your samples.
- Testimonials. If you get a compliment from a client ask their permission to post it on your site. You can also ask clients to give you a testimonial.
- Spelling and grammar. Of course.
- Persuasiveness of your copy. Determine what you want visitors to do when they come to your site and make sure every word on your site leads them to that action.
Did I miss anything? What else should writers check when they’re updating their online portfolios?
Posted by on Oct 3, 2008 in
Getting Jobs,
Marketing I used to get upset by all the low paying gigs I saw advertised on the internet. I’d think, “I could make good money freelancing if only people were willing to pay more for good writing.” Then, it finally dawned on me that minds could be changed.
There are quite a few reasons that people advertise low rates. Sometimes, they’re just plain cheap, but sometimes they don’t realize what they could get if they just paid a little more money. That’s where your good marketing skills come in.
Don’t let a low advertised rate stand in the way of getting a gig you want.
Pitch to them anyway. Stress the benefits of hiring you and the type of result they can expect from hiring you. State your rate and explain why you charge that rate. Reiterate your unique benefit once more before closing out the message.
You’ll probably get a mixed response. Some webmasters are deadset on paying a low price and won’t budge. Others will see the value in hiring you can pay the higher rate.
The closer your rates are to the advertised rates, the better the chance of convincing the client to pay more. For example, if someone’s advertising $.02/word, you’ll have an easier time convincing them to pay $.05/word than you will $.10/word.
I like to check out the hiring webmaster’s publication to help decide if I’m going to try to persuade them to pay more. If there are no ads, the webmaster might not be generating enough income from the site to pay more.
Do you ever apply for gigs even though your rate is higher than what’s advertised? What do you say? How’s your success rate?
Posted by on Oct 2, 2008 in
Marketing Copywriting is often confused with content writing. The former is compelling and intended to persuade the reader to take an action. On the other hand, the latter is informative and intended help the reader make a decision.
Even if you’re not a copywriter, you can benefit from having some copywriting skills.
Part of being a freelance writer, no matter what your specialty, is convincing editors and webmasters to hire you. To do that, you’ll need some of the sales skills that copywriters use.
Write compelling headlines. Editors receive hundreds, even thousands, of letters from freelance writers. Having an enticing headline improves your chances of getting hired.
Stress benefits, not features. Talking about benefit helps the hiring client see what they have to gain by hireing you. Feature: I have 10 years of experience. Benefit: My experience will help you get more readers.
Show that you’re different from the competition. Make yourself stand out from other writers and convince potential clients that you’re a better choice.
Prove your credibility. Who are you and what qualities do you have that enables you to deliver the results you promise? For example, why exactly are you qualified to write the article, “7 Reasons the Sky is Falling?”
If you want to know more about copywriting, I suggest The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan S. Kennedy and The Elements of Copywriting by Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly. You can find both books in the Amazon carousel in the sidebar.
