It happened yet again.
Another freelancer thinking that this is the way to market:
Hi all! I’m looking for new work in writing or editing. Please feel free to share.
Oh honey, no.
Worse, it was posted on social media.
Why is this so bad? The person posting it made a few mistakes. Let’s review:
No introduction.
Do you have any idea who this is? Even if you had the person’s profile picture, you’d still no nothing about their experience, focus, goals, previous experience, etc. Nowhere have they said what they’re looking for beyond “new work.”
To those who would say, “Well, just click on their profile and find out” I say this: The job of understanding what this writer wants isn’t on me. It’s not on anyone but the person posting. This isn’t selling. It’s tossing something into the wind and hoping it lands somewhere. If a stranger walked up to you at a train station or a grocery store and said the same thing, would you drop what you’re doing to find out their background, then hand them your client list? Not if you’re smart.
No “why.”
In any kind of marketing or advertising, the seller needs to convince the buyer why they should care. This particular posting hasn’t delivered that. Why should I stop what I’m doing and find work for you? Why should I refer you to clients without knowing who you are and what you do? Why should I spend energy on what feels like a half-assed, throwaway post that has no target?
No respect.
From what I saw, there was zero attempt to build a community or even engage with one. All I know is this writer is expecting someone — everyone — to read this post and give over their hard-won client list. Or their “overflow” work, which if I hear that phrase one more time I may lose my shit entirely. There’s no sense of whether this person even gives a damn enough to market on their own. Is this the first post? What other marketing have they tried? The truth is I have no idea. Another truth: I don’t care. This is lazy marketing. It’s a “Here’s what I need, now go fetch it for me” appeal. This post has hung out there for a few days. Only one answer from someone who compiles job listings. She was kind to do even that much for someone not trying very hard.
No clue.
I hate to be harsh, but if someone is posting stuff like this in order to “find” work, they are clueless and probably shouldn’t really be freelancing. Freelancing is creative, but it’s also managing a small business, including marketing yourself and not expecting strangers to take pity on you. Imagine if a furniture store or an HVAC repair company you’ve never worked with sent you a flyer that says “Hi all! I’m looking for new work. Feel free to tell your friends and neighbors.” How fast are you rushing out to help them find new customers? Probably not before they go out of business.
How could this assumed writer handle marketing better?
Build an online presence.
If you want to market online, why not interact with the people you hope will hire you? Asking about 10 million strangers to go to bat for you is a bit short-sighted. But if you start following and interacting with companies or individuals — meaning having actual conversations, sharing, reposting their stuff with your comments, building a rapport — then your targeted post (make good use of hashtags, people) could well hit the mark.
But only if you’ve got a profile that says what you do, or if you’ve included the type of work you’re looking to attain in your post. Don’t think they’ll look if they’re interested — they won’t. Make it easy to say yes.
Don’t beg for scraps.
To me, that original post looks desperate. It says, “I don’t care what it is, I need to work.” Desperation doesn’t read well to clients. It tells them that you might not be the right person for the job because you can’t seem to find anything on your own. It really doesn’t translate to feeling sorry for you and hiring you. You may be desperate. Just present yourself as though you’re not.
Market on your own.
Anyone who’s frequented this blog at all can find any number of ways to market effectively. You don’t need to be the best marketer ever. You need to be consistent at it, and at following up. Try here, here, here, and here. If you need more inspiration on how to market, type Marketing into the search box on the right. Definitely read my Marketing 101 series.
Once you find your marketing sweet spot, you’ll soon realize you don’t need to be begging on social media for anyone or everyone to find work for you. You’ll be finding clients you want to work with and earning what you hoped for.
Writers, what’s your most impactful marketing move?