Here’s an interesting thought – can your business survive if you do all your marketing virtually? That’s what Kimberly Ben at Avid Writer ponders this week. Here’s the link. Short synopsis – a writer who markets face-to-face claims she knows why a writer who doesn’t is struggling. She thinks with no direct contact, the writer will never survive. Hmm. Tell that to thousands of successful writers who never meet clients in person.
But we do get these notions that our marketing or self-promotion or networking is of the tried-and-true-and-you’d-better-do variety. Coaching careers and best-selling books have been built on this method, that method, or the latest career-transforming guarantees. Not that everyone who sells fantastic books or coaching courses is saying you have to do it this way or no way at all, but that we consumers build these methods up into the only way it can be done. We are the ones putting the emphasis on “That’s how it has to be done”, not the folks who share their methods. (It’s also why I love Peter Bowerman’s books and blog so much – he doesn’t tell you how you should be doing it, but how it’s worked for him.)
I mentioned on Kim’s blog my thoughts that the difference between how writers market themselves is personal choice. You know what? It is. Like every other business and every other business owner on the planet, we writers have our own individual styles. What works for me may knot up your stomach and how you operate may make another writer envision large wastes of time.
Example – I think email, Twitter, and LinkedIn marketing works great. Because I enjoy banter and have a long track record of working with various clients, it does work for me. Would it work for Jane or Alan who are new to freelance writing and have no contacts or track record? It could, but since they’re new, they may not be focusing on marketing. They’re focusing on writing. So to drop writing in an attempt to locate people and shmooze them with tweets could be scary or tough. Would it work for Sue who’s not someone who enjoys pithy snippets of conversation but rather a more focused, professional email? Probably not.
What marketing method or methods are you most comfortable with? What has worked well for you? Do you change it up occasionally? What will you never do no matter how many “experts” tell you otherwise?
Most of it is email and/or direct mail. I don't cold call AT ALL — no matter how Peter tries to encourage me! 😉
I have an international client base — there's no way I could regular face-to-face meetings.
I noticed that a lot of those who sell products telling you THE way it should be done only have what I call "bossy books" out and don't actually have a track record over a variety of work.
I'm in Canada. I very rarely work with clients in the same country, let alone the same province. I've had a few face-to-face conversations with prospective clients, but nothing ever came of them. The problem is I live in an area where $10-$15/hour is pretty decent. I had a friend who worked for a newspaper and make less than minimum wage. People around here simply aren't going to pay New York wages, so I don't really bother marketing locally.
I don't know how I will thrive in a face-to-face marketing when I am so shy. What works for me is to let others do the marketing while I conceptualize.
I find it easier to market myself in person or even by phone, then by using any of the social networking tools. Twitter gives me a headache and Facebook drives me nuts. I don't know a whole lot about LinkedIn though, so I can't say much about that.
I think it depends on two big factors. 1) your personality type., and 2) like Krista said, your location and proximity to your clients.
I am not a schmoozer. I can't fathom going to a Chamber of Commerce meeting and chatting people up on the hopes of getting some work. But that works really well for some other local writers I know.
Then again, like Krista, I work with mostly out-of-towners that pay much better than local places pay.
Ooops. I was unintentionally anonymous.
Paula, we'll keep your identity secret. Okay, everyone on the Internet – don't tell anyone else that was Paula! There. 🙂
But you're right. What works for some doesn't work across the board. I think Peter's book resonated with me because what he does (except for calls) is what I've done and have had work for me.
Devon, you're right. I have to know the person doling out the advice has a great track record (which Peter does). Bossy books – I like that!
Krista, same here. Everyone told me I had to live in a metro area to get work. Well, it helped, but the majority of my clients are on the opposite coast or far enough away that plane fare would be required. Like you, I have international clients (reverse – I work with Canadians!).
CFD Trade, great point. Writers are often a shy bunch (I'm an exception, trust me). I don't think forcing someone to perform marketing acts that are unnatural is going to help at all. So who markets for you?
See Wendy? Not everyone can stand social networking. Are you behind the curve? No. You just do it differently. Vive le difference!
I am so much more successful because of the 'net than I was pre-web… some of that's attitude, but I'm a virtual marketer.
Oh, I enjoy the occasional client f2f – one bought me lunch yesterday and a couple of times I've been flown places I hadn't been before to meet someone (their nickel not mine.)
Twitter was made for me!
Now if I could just really understand facebook 😉
I get my clients from 1) referrals 2) warm calls and introductions 3) targeted direct mail. Referrals, of course, are the easiest to close. Direct mail is the best way for me to get new clients I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. And warm calls and introductions (e.g., a colleague will introduce me via email to someone who might be able to use my services) are a good way of getting my name out there for business down the road.
It's funny you should write about this now. I just made a similar comment on a blog article about Twitter.
It's much too overwhelming to follow all the advice you hear, to use every marketing tool — whether online or face-to-face. The best thing has to be to choose what works best for your circumstances and personality. The key is to do them well — and consistently. Wish I could say I follow this advice! ;>)
I can honestly only met one client face to face and that was recently at a coffee shop just because she happened to be in town. Most of my work is form abroad- Canada, Mexico, and Australia. I really don't have too much time to talk to people face to face. Besides my unruly hair and beard might scare them.
Hrm – that's an interesting comment repost above – I've been seeing that recently on blogger, where someone repeats exactly what another said, with a spam link after. Growing trend, I guess.
Anyway – I've done a bit of several ideas mentioned. Online. Face to face. Phone. Some gigs have been purely due to being online. Others have been a combo. I once got a several month blogging job from Twitter (I wish I could get some more that way! Just haven't seen anything go by.) and another indirectly from attending BlogHer.
I don't mind the face to face schmoozing. I kind of like it, but I am MUCH more comfortable if I know at least one person there.
In fact, my schedule's looking thinner than I'd like so I'm trying to find the right combo of marketing to bolster my work roster. I hope it works soon.
It's gone, becky. I can't stand that, either. It does make you wodner – is retyping someone else's comment without attribution plagiarism?
What you said – sometimes queries work wonders whereas two months from now phone calls work. It's in us to some extent, too. If I had picked up the phone two weeks ago, I'd have struck out miserably because I had been wrung out. No way I could've convinced anyone of anything!
John, I bet you'd wow them in person. 🙂 But you're right – client meetings aren't for everyone. Some of us are too busy for it, some of us too shy.
Cheryl, you're so right – the key IS consistency.
Eileen, do you think your method works for you because of your specialty or because you're consistent?
Anne, I reserve Facebook for friends only. I have to have one place where I can let my hair down. 🙂