What’s on the iPod: Call Ya Momma by Justin Townes Earle
It was a lovely weekend. Our final Burns Supper was Friday night, so we dressed up and headed out into the single-digit temps to once again toast a barely intelligible poet who wrote poems about mice and lice in Scots dialect. Go figure. But the Scots love any excuse for a party, and who am I to argue?
I wished my eldest happy birthday on Sunday. Every year, I wish I could be there in person. Every year, there’s some snow event happening that gets in the way. So I wish him well from a distance and wonder why I didn’t plan it so that his birth landed in the summer months…
My January ended on an oh-my-gawd note — there are projects rolling in to the point where I’m tempted to halt further marketing. Tempted only. Even in the middle of a blizzard, we all know the snow stops eventually (today is also Lori Thinks She’s Punny Day). So far, the projects on my desk are totaling a little more than $1K over my February earnings goal.
So before I get ahead of myself, let’s look at January’s results:
Queries:
I sent four. Two hit the mark. The other two will get a nudge this week.
LOIs:
I sent 28 out, and one of the recipients is interested. I’ll circle back this week.
Social media:
One tweet netted a conversation with a potential client this week. Not bad odds at all.
Job postings:
I remember applying to one thing, but it wasn’t noteworthy enough to remember exactly what it was. I’ve looked, but I’ve not spent much energy going where thousands of other writers are going.
Referral:
One came from a writer friend on Thursday. No word yet if it’s a match.
Existing clients:
Just as the old sales adage goes, you get 80 percent of your business from 20 percent of your customers. Two clients this month resulted in most of my income. Those two projects came within $1,200 of my earnings goal.
New clients:
No new client work this month, but I’m hopeful the conversation this week will turn into a working relationship.
Poetry:
Early in the month I learned I’ll be published in another literary magazine. That makes two published poems, which I hope is a trend.
Earnings:
I did have just two client projects this past month, but as I said earlier, they came close to my earnings goal. I would have surpassed it, but one project was delayed until this week and another one was done internally.
Bottom line:
The focus on concentrated marketing is paying off. I’ve decided to mix things up and concentrate on a few different avenues at the same time. Also, I’m putting more effort into a more personalized letter of introduction. It’s too early to tell if it’s making a difference, but already I’m seeing more responses, even if they aren’t buying.
The LOI marketing will continue, and this month is when I start contacting people who will be attending the trade show in April. Time to get some face-to-face meetings scheduled. Also, I’m introducing myself to more editors in the trade world.
How did you do in January? How are things this year compared to last January?
Have you been doing anything different with your marketing approach?
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