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I was in conversation with a beginning freelancer a while ago when I realized that the writer was approaching her freelance writing business as if she were an employee. The signs were all there:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Applying for jobs<\/li>\n
- Treating networking like a sales pitch<\/li>\n
- Looking for others to tell her what to do and how to do it to succeed<\/li>\n
- Not really reading the advice she was given let alone understanding it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It happens. We who were once employees can’t quite get out of that mode. Hungry for sales and checks, we look for quick cash — proposals on the first date kind of behavior.<\/p>\n
There are freelancers who wait to be told what they should do next or worse, ask question A, then follow up with more detailed, what I call lazy questions. Example: How do I send a pitch to a magazine?<\/em> and follow-up questions like,\u00a0Where do I find the editor’s email?<\/em> and What idea should I send?<\/em> The first question is fine. The other two show me you’ve not bothered to do even the basic work. Not that as a beginner you would know, but a few internet searches turn up the answers pretty quickly. If you’re asking those types of questions a lot, you’re not really doing the basic work.<\/p>\n
Then there’s the one that really grinds me: Ask for advice then fail to read it, comprehend it or even acknowledge it. There was one writer a number of years ago who would ask the same question. Annually. Don’t think she even realized it. I quit responding. This was someone who wasn’t putting any attention into their own careers.<\/p>\n
Yep. If you’ve been successful at freelancing and have decent name recognition among other freelancers, you’ve gotten the same sort of questions, the same sort of inattention to your responses, and the same feeling that this person is going to be waiting for the lightbulb to come on without lifting a finger to flick the switch.<\/p>\n
[bctt tweet=”Your #freelancewriting business can’t be successful without your effort.” username=”LoriWidmer”]<\/p>\n
That’s right. Asking for advice is one thing. Action? That’s all you, my friend.<\/p>\n
If you’re like our hapless freelancer who is probably still asking the same question somewhere, this post will help you understand how to improve your freelance writing business by changing your behaviors. Simple fixes, easy for you to handle. I promise.<\/p>\n
1. Learn how to network.<\/h3>\n
Networking is not<\/strong><\/em> marketing. Networking is being interested in people and companies and wanting to connect to share ideas or conversation. Networking, in my opinion, is silent marketing that pays off down the road. For example, that marketing director you shared a cab with at a conference and then had lunch with the next time you met is someone you have in your network: An acquaintance or business relationship that you’ve cultivated and nurtured. You two share common interests and industry knowledge. In five years when she needs a writer with industry knowledge and you’ve bothered to stay in touch, guess who’s going to come to mind?<\/p>\n
Networking is meeting people to get to know them. It’s like making a friend. I’d say plenty of the people I’ve met over the years are certainly work friends. A good number of them have become clients, too. The goal: to make connections and learn about someone.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
2. Learn how to market effectively.<\/h3>\n
To me, marketing is only partly sales. My marketing is finding ways in which I can make myself and my work more interesting to those in my network and those on social media. It’s not bragging, endless “Look at me!” type of posts. It’s things like thanking a client publicly (if it’s not against any NDA), sharing industry-wide news or connections’ posts, it’s little hints at what you do: “Just completed my client’s 28-page cyber insurance white paper. What’s on your desk today?”<\/p>\n
Marketing does include a sales element, such as a pitch to a magazine or a blog devoted to the industry you write for. It can be a sales letter or a broader social media campaign or even an occasional emailed e-newsletter with marketing and writing advice sent out to your targeted list of clients. Yes, you can ask for the job. But first, build a reputation that makes it damn easy for them to say Yes.<\/p>\n
3. Be selective when following advice.<\/h3>\n
I’ve never believed in a one-size-fits-all business approach. I’ve done marketing in ways that might not work for others because of personality or target audience differences. And vice versa. So when a self-styled guru says you MUST do it this way, run. A great business plan is one that borrows the best bits of all sorts of advice (and you determine what those best bits are based on what attracts you). And it’s a plan that lives — what you do today may change tomorrow. Tweak it. Read. Learn more. Apply things better going forward. Learn from your mistakes and keep looking for your own sweet spot. I can’t tell you where that is. But you’ll know it when you land on it.<\/p>\n
4. Make the best use of your social media choices.<\/h3>\n
I learned long ago that two forms of social media is much more advantageous than being signed up for eight or nine. How can anyone keep up with all those platforms? Choose your favorite few. Find interesting topics to tweet about, post about, talk about and share. Definitely share others’ posts and thoughts. Join conversations. Use the hashtag associated with your intended client audience. I personally get the most mileage out of LinkedIn and Twitter. Find a social media platform that you like and one where your clients and potential clients are.<\/p>\n
5. Hold yourself accountable.<\/h3>\n
Today, identify someone to whom you can report every month. Then do this: Set a monthly earnings goal. If you need to, make a list of which clients you’ll contact and how many prospective clients you’ll introduce yourself to. At the end of every month, contact your accountability partner. Report in. You made $XXXX this month, you worked with Y clients, and you reached out to Z number of prospects. From the first time I checked in with Joy Drohan until today, my business results were noticeably better. The moment you know you have to report your activity you are suddenly laser-focused on your business all month, not just the last week of the month. Right now I’m sitting here thinking about how many days are left in the month for me to hit that earnings target and if I should reach out to one of my clients with an idea.<\/p>\n
It works. Try it.<\/p>\n
\nYou can be like our hapless freelancer who is waiting for the world to tell her every step she needs to take to build a successful freelance writing business. You can apply for jobs online, hope to be chosen and hope even more that it pays a decent rate. Or you can take control of your business, learn the basics, improve on your own approach, and keep your attention on your success rather than on getting one more client, one more gig.<\/p>\n
Writers, when was the turning point in your freelance writing business?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhat one or two things did you change that made a huge impact?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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