6 Easy Ways to Gain Visibility

What I’m reading: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
What’s on the iPod: Iris (Hold Me Close) by U2

Holding patterns: I’m not a fan of holding patterns. I have projects coming in, but they’re not here. I’m not waiting, either. As I told a friend yesterday, I market like there are no promises made. I have to. If the projects don’t arrive, I don’t get paid.

I spent yesterday sending follow-up notes, introducing myself to new client prospects, and working on poetry. November is a tough time to find work, but there are clients who need the help. I’m determined to find them. This week, I sent out clips in response to job listings that fit like they were written for me. I don’t hold my breath on such things as the competition is ridiculously fierce, but I tried. It’s not all I tried, either.

Those of you who know me know I don’t limit the definition of marketing to written, formal contact. Any time you touch base with someone from your network, you’re marketing (or at least networking, which to me is a necessary part of marketing). That includes conversations on social media, updates that get in front of clients, and chatty emails with people in my network.

Lately for one reason or another, I’ve seen my visibility shoot up with my targeted clients. I’m getting more personal notes, and I like that. While there may be no projects, there is a connection. That’s where the projects stem from anyway, right?

Here are a few things I’ve found that work for me. They may work for you, too:

LinkedIn updates. Yes, people read them. What I use them for is to give updates on my most recently published articles or blog posts. And I love that LI allows you to specify groups in which to post the update. Just be careful there — some group guidelines don’t allow for promotions to show up on the discussions forum.

LinkedIn endorsements. I’m not one to go endorsing people on a whim, but if I see a suggested endorsement pop up and I think it fits, I’ll endorse that person. I’ve had personal notes back from clients and potential clients as a result.

Twitter requests. I do things a bit differently — I have a risk management blog (my specialty), so I send out requests for people to profile on the blog. It works because I get blog content, I get introduced to one more influencer, and I get visibility for writing in the industry beyond just articles.

Start an online conversation. Besides my blog, I like to start conversations either in Twitter or on a LinkedIn forum. I haven’t really done this in a while (and this is my reminder to myself to start it up again), but when I have, I’ve met new people, and some have inquired about my services.

Tweet availability. The first time I did this, I found a new client who worked with me for two years. I’ve garnered conversations about projects this way (no real work beyond that first client), and again, I’ve made a connection with one more person in my specialty area.

Share the hard work of others. I’ve made some fast friends by just retweeting or sharing their articles, blog posts, etc. I’ll add comments so it’s not just a blanket share/retweet with no feeling. In everything, I try to make a personal connection.

Writers, how do you gain visibility for yourself and your freelance writing business?