I’m spending extra hours this month trying to get all the projects done on time. See, they all (save one) have the same deadline. They all need to be finished on or before January 31st. I’m working some twelve-hour days mixed in there with some ten-hour and one or two 9-hour days. I took on the commitments, so I’m going to finish them. Dammit.
But where does that leave time for marketing? Where is the time for finding the next projects? I admit it’s tight and I’ve had little time for it, but I’m setting aside an hour every evening, after my brain just stops working and before I detox with a little online Scrabble (it’s amazing how badly you can play at 8 pm after a full day of insurance writing). In that hour, I will contact old clients. I will – maybe, if I still have any steam left – print out a few brochures and send them off. I will cruise the job listings on sites like Media Bistro or the “regular” job listings sites like Monster and Career Builder. What I won’t do is say, “Oh, forget it. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
Tomorrow isn’t an option because tomorrow never arrives. It gets pushed back and back and back….
Okay, so you have no time to market. Do you have time to cruise LinkedIn or Facebook? Yes? That’s your marketing time. And yes, networking sites can work for you, but that’s a slow building of the credentials and contacts. Let me tell you how many gigs I scored from a networking site – one. Yep. One. And it was one of those “I need a website, but I can only spend $100” gigs. That was back when I was stupid enough to take jobs like that thinking they’d lead somewhere. It did. It led to a job for the guy’s mother, who wanted the same or lower price and when I told her I had raised my rates, she never called back.
How do you market? What are some of the easier ways you fit it in when your workload doesn’t spare you much time?
I’ve found the blog a good marketing tool. I get a few gigs every month because someone came across my blog and liked it.
I don’t spend enough time marketing either, especially when I’m on deadline.
Or, I print out potential jobs and “put them aside” to pitch later and later never comes.
Got to read ’em, print ’em, pitch ’em, log ’em, or it doesn’t happen.
My blog hasn’t been a marketing tool, but maybe someday . . .
I try to market every day. I learned a long time ago that unless I’m really pushed, I don’t write well until the afternoon. Even when I’m swamped under with deadlines, there will be a part of the day — morning — when I’m not overly busy. So while I am having my morning coffee, I market. That’s when I troll job boards, look over magazine sites, and send out letters. I take that time to review things in my email folders to see who I can catch up with.
It’s like anything else — if you make it part of your daily routine (I put it on my to-do list, too), you’ll always find the time to market. Some days/weeks you’ll have more time than others.
I end up in dry spells all the time. The end of December and beginning of January were busy – I had to finish up a project. But now, I have nothing lined up and nothing to do! If I were consistent with marketing, this wouldn’t be an issue.
Writing the Cyber Highway just recently got me hired for a job I’m really excited about. Like Devon, my client found my blog and loved what she saw. She knows I have the creativity and personality she’s been looking for. So, hurray!
Initially, I started my blog because I was reading that clients/editors really love to follow writer’s online journals (sometimes anonymously) to find out how consistent and talented you are. I have to admit, since I started my blog and continued to learn more about blogging, my gigs have increased. I’ve even landed blogging gigs!
Also… I’ve applied for so many writing gigs, I’ll probably pass out if even half of them respond. 🙂
As for Facebook, I don’t like it as much as StumbleUpon. Nothing against Facebook, just my preference.
Got to read ’em, print ’em, pitch ’em, log ’em, or it doesn’t happen.
Exactly, Devon!
Smiles,
Michele
Lori,
Here’s something that was suggested in to the Freelance Success forum (which I’m a little addicted to). Send interesting articles to editors or clients you’ve worked with in the past as a reminder that you exist (even if you don’t have time for a full length assignment). Sending along an essay or feature you think your editor might like with a quick note helps you build that relationship and show your good taste in writing (hopefully). As writers, we read a lot anyway, so this shouldn’t be too time-consuming, but it’s a thoughtful gesture.
Susan
Thanks, Susan! I actually posted that one a month or so ago, but it’s one worth repeating!