What’s on the iPod: Naima by Angelique Kidjo
It’s Thursday and I’m sitting in a Caribou Coffee shop in Chapel Hill. We’re a day from home, where Christmas preparations are happening without me. It’s weird, but in a way, freeing. For the first time in a while, I don’t feel tied to tradition.
Not that I don’t like tradition, but I don’t like feeling like tradition is ruling every move. Will I die if the mantle isn’t decorated or I don’t string multiple light strands outside? No. But don’t we act like we will sometimes?
Another way I find myself a slave to tradition is in how I market. It hit me like a train as I was editing a client’s sales sheets two days ago (the only work I’ve done on this trip). Theirs is a simple approach to sales, and it’s one I could be using as a template. Sometimes the simple stuff is the most brilliant.
If you work with clients writing their marketing or communications copy, you have an open door to learning a new way to attract more freelance writing clients. Watch what they do well and apply what you learn to your own marketing.
Here are some of the things clients can teach us:
Speak to a targeted audience. My current client has several business segments within their specialty. Funny, so do I. Yet I’ve never prepared segment-specific sales materials like they have. What a lost opportunity!
Show the full value of what you do. We think we do that already, but do we? When was the last time you made a list of everything your client can gain from your particular writing expertise? Ever? Don’t be afraid to sound like you’re bragging. You’re conveying value – your freelance writing skills are a needed commodity. It’s okay to assure potential clients that their projects are in good hands.
Adopt multiple channels of communication. Every client I’ve worked with has had more than one writing project for me. Websites, sales sheets, email blasts, mailers, media kits – we writers can (and probably should) be doing the same kind of multi-channel communication. Think of how many “touch points” you have with your intended client base. Email? Website? What else? Try having at least three ways to get in front of your clients and your intended clients.
Increase personalization. Many of my clients attend trade shows and conferences. They put an emphasis on meeting people in person. People are much more likely to do business with someone they’ve met. Also, they’re going to remember that person. I’ve had people I’ve met years ago call me recently. They remembered the connection. There’s power in that. Phone calls work just as well if you’re unable to meet in person.
Create a phrase that attracts clients and instills confidence. My clients have one. So do most successful companies. Find a phrase that fits you and describes what you have to offer. Mine is “Simply great writing every time.” I approach every job with that in mind.
Writers, what habits of your clients have you adopted?