The Confident Copywriter

Posts Tagged ‘freelance writers’

                      As freelance writers and copywriters, we read tons of information about how to go after ‘higher quality’ clients — in other words, the client with deeper pockets who has a better grasp of what it means to work within the freelance environment. It’s the Holy Grail, isn’t it? Having access to a wellspring of loyal, Fortune 500 clients who regularly come back for more? And yet so many of us seem to struggle to achieve this goal. It’s the #2 concern of freelance writers, according to my informal February survey.

I know this is nearly a blasphemous thought but…maybe we’re worrying about attracting the wrong companies.

According to the 2010 Content Marketing Spending Survey conducted by Junta42*, and disseminated by HubSpot, the use of content marketing is growing. But not in the way you think.

33% of the total marketing budget among all companies goes to content marketing. This is up by 11% from 2009. (Is the economy recovering, or are companies risking spending more to create greater balance?)

More interestingly, companies with 99 employees or less spent 40% of their marketing budget on content marketing compared with 18% spending for companies with more than 99 employees.

Wait. What? Small companies are spending more than large companies?

Perhaps we copywriters are having a positive effect on the market after all.

Or perhaps smaller businesses are simply catching up and wising up to the fact that content is and always has been king. Engaging, relevant content in the form of website pages, blog posts, social media marketing, case studies, white papers, reports, newsletters…are now required to magnetize, build and preserve customer and prospect relationships. The client can go ahead and bang his head against the marketing wall as much as he likes…in the end, he’s got to have great content. That’s good news for writers! (And also a lesson to those of us struggling to market ourselves. It works both ways.)

Quality content gives birth to new thought leaders, raises online and offline visibility, improves search engine rankings, builds brands and positions products and services in front of the ready-to-buy B2B or B2C consumer. Small businesses no longer need deep pockets to play on the same field with the big boys. They simply need time, patience, a willingness to listen and learn… and stellar talent. (Translation: a wonderful writer like you.)

I say, go get ‘em. What’s your take?

* More than 250 marketing professionals responded to the survey.

What do freelance writers and copywriters want? How about great clients? High paying work? Satisfying challenges? More freedom? As I speak with writers each day, these are the goals I frequently hear about. After all, most of us got into this business to have more freedom, greater control over our workday, and a satisfying, challenging career that is also financially rewarding.

You know…just like all those marketing letters promise.

Oh, if only it were so easy.

I know and you know…freelancing is hard work. You’ve got to bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and be the man. (Sorry, ladies. You know what I mean.)

This is why I’ve created reports and placed them on my blog here for your…ahem…reading pleasure. I said I wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to ‘sell out’ and fall into the vast boiling vat of copywriting information providers.

But I can’t help myself. There is so much information that is downright incorrect, misleading and false. Then there is an entire catalog of information that is completely self-serving. And then, there is quite a lot of really great information, but you’ve got to sell a child to afford it.

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m all about free help for copywriters. In that spirit, many of my reports are free. In some cases, the information is specialized or took quite some time to put together, so I unfortunately must charge for these reports, but I’ve done my best to keep the cost nominal.

As I’ve often said, I’m not in this to get rich. I’m in it to get real.

I hope you’ll join me, because it’s all about you. Simply click on Download Valuable Reports to see available titles.

What types of free reports would you like to see available here at The Confident Copywriter?

We hear so much about coaching today- life coaching, business coaching, executive coaching…and now, there is freelance writer coaching, of all things. Such coaching is not new, but seems to have proliferated in the last year as more inexperienced writers move into the freelance writing and copywriting markets.

I personally made the decision to offer coaching for copywriters, based on the sheer number of requests I get for help. While it is my passion to offer free help for copywriters, I often receive typical questions like:

How do I find work?”
“How should I price my services?”
“What did you do to get started?”
“Do I really need to learn SEO?”
“How will I ever find time to market myself?”

These are common concerns we all have from time to time. There are many books on the topic. But for some, nothing beats the luxury, convenience and heart to heart satisfaction of talking to a real person who’s been there. That’s why 30/30 Coaching was born- to fill the need for one-on-one help at a very affordable cost.

I wonder sometimes if I’m on the right track. Some days, it feels like I definitely am. Other days, not so much. Today, I got confirmation that I’m doing the right thing when I received an email from the master himself, Bob Bly, stating he too is offering a limited availability coaching program. Of course, Bob Bly’s coaching program costs $900. To some, being able to say you were coached by Bob Bly is worth $900. Those professional writers who have already received my far more affordable mentoring will happily tell you $30 goes a really long way to solving your most pressing problems and getting you back on the road to productivity.

Your choice. But if you need help, I’m here. Just check out the tab, 30/30 Coaching, right here on the blog.

If I had a dollar (inflation, people) for every time someone asked me how I manage to keep up with all my writing…well, let’s just say I’d be doing a lot less writing!

One area that causes consternation is blogging. Since you’re here, it’s a good place to start.

How do I keep up with the relentless pace of creating valuable content 3-5 times a week? And what happens as my blogdom grows? (My new blog, CopyVirgin, will be available in March. If you can’t tell who I’m targeting, drop me a line and we’ll discuss it. )

Here are some tips to get you going:

Pay Attention

Did you make New Year’s resolutions? Are you still keeping them? If so, you’re the exception to the rule. Like dieting, losing weight, exercising, quitting smoking…blogging requires commitment and attention. Don’t relegate it to the back burner. Schedule it as if a client is paying you for it.

When you stop posting as frequently, the search engines lose interest. So do all of those great groups you’ve worked so hard to attract. If necessary, trade services with another writer who can post content for you, or pay a professional blog writer to get you over the hump (last resort).

Get Organized!

To blog regularly, you’ve got to make time for it. Solving this challenge requires organization, a plan. You schedule your time to meet client deadlines, don’t you? Plan your blogging time. Set aside 30 minutes a day, or 2 hours once a week, or Saturday mornings…whatever works for you. This is Blog Time and nothing and no one is going to get in your way.

Bring the Inspiration to You

Often, the problem isn’t your ability to write. The problem is, “I don’t know what to write about.” I suggest creating a document called Blog Ideas. Keep it on your desktop. As blog ideas pop into your head, jump over and jot them down before the phone rings or the kids interrupt and you forget. Then, when it’s Blog Time, the ideas are already there.

Google Alerts are another neat little trick – simply type in your chosen keywords. I typed in ‘copywriting’, ‘freelance writers’, etc. as well as the names of companies I want to follow. Don’t forget to follow your own name – you’ll be surprised where you pop up! Google Alerts will send information matching your keywords straight to your inbox, hot off the press. Voila! Instant inspiration!

Don’t Give Up!

There will be times when you feel pressured, just don’t feel like it, or something else needs your attention. That’s business, isn’t it? But it’s no excuse to give up. Like the dieter who gives in to chocolate cake, no good can come from skipping a scheduled blog post. If you miss a post, get back on track for the next one. Be disciplined and reap the rewards!

Have blogging tips of your own? Please share!