6 Easy Marketing Hacks for Freelancers

On Twitter, I’ve been following the #MarketingStrategy hashtag for about a year.

There’s good advice there, but generally, the marketing tweets are often framed in the jargon that scares off most people trying to build a marketing strategy. Algorithms. Conversion rates. Digital transformations. Crowd funding.

Can you learn this jargon? Sure. They’re not difficult concepts. But jargon, in my opinion, often creates an instant roadblock for novices and beginners. As it’s meant to do — people who work in corporate America often use jargon to signal to the reader that they hold some authority (my opinion).

It’s also created the idea that marketing is somehow hard. That creating a way to actively look for potential clients must be this complex, highly complicated thing.

It is if you make it complex and highly complicated.

I don’t know about you, but I’d really rather not.

[bctt tweet=” Don’t think marketing — think actively finding #freelancewriting clients.” username=”LoriWidmer”]

So let’s just forget about the buzz words and the over-explanation of what marketing entails. Let’s shoot for simple, okay?

Here are six simple hacks that will make marketing something you actually don’t mind doing:

Set a small goal for contacting prospects.

Back when I was building a client base and name recognition for myself, I’d shoot for seven a week. That’s one per day if you market every day, which is entirely manageable by nearly anyone.

Set a limit of fifteen minutes for marketing.

Why a limit? Because if the thought of marketing gives you agita, the time limit is a bit more appealing. If you want to market for longer, that’s up to you. But for those of you who are averse to the practice, a time limit helps you establish the habit.

Simplify it.

Write down each step you’ll take in bullet points. My steps, written out, would look like this:

• Read the prospect’s website to see who they are
• Write a letter of introduction that mentions at least one thing about that prospect’s business
• Send it, then put the contact info, date contacted, and any notes in a Word file, a spreadsheet, or in your notebook
• Follow up in a few weeks
• Repeat

Doesn’t look so bad, does it? It isn’t. Simplifying it in your head is all you’re doing. Marketing itself isn’t tough. The jargon and buzz words around marketing are usually the real road block. So keep it simple. And simplify my process if it’s too much for you.

Use social media (wisely).

Oh, the traction you can get on social media if only you knew how, right? Well, here you go. Follow client prospects. Pay attention to their activity and what they’re talking about. I used Tweetdeck to create separate columns for some of my more sought-after prospects. Attend Twitter chats they host or attend themselves. Post articles of interest to them on LinkedIn. Follow their Instagram feed and share. Be caught promoting others, not just yourself.

Tell a current contact what you do.

You’ve been working with those PR contacts forever. Do they have any idea that you’re not just writing for magazines, but also for corporations? Do they know your specialty? Drop it into your next conversation. “Thanks for making this easy. I’ve been under a tight deadline with a corporate client’s website revisions, and your quick response to my query on this article makes my life easier!”

Increase the number of people who know you.

Yes, a letter of introduction does this, but only if you follow up religiously. You can also make acquaintances in LI forums, on Twitter, and in online discussions wherever your potential clients hang out. One writer I know hangs out in designer/developer forums because that’s his writing specialty. I attend an annual conference, where the goal is to get in front of at least three or four new people in a face-to-face meeting. Become the name associated with that topic area or that industry by introducing yourself to that community.

Writers, how have you simplified your own marketing?
What advice would you give to a writer who’s trying to get into actively finding clients?