Tag Archives: hummingbird bridal and events

advice

Taking Orders v. Taking Control

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By Amanda Smyth Connor484010_business_man_modified

Don’t move past this blog post – it’s not quite what you think. I’m not going to lecture you on personal empowerment or taking a stand against taking orders. Heck, we’re in the business of taking professional orders. Who isn’t, really?

What I’m up on my soapbox about today is identifying the difference between when a client wants/needs you to take charge and make suggestions versus dealing with clients who know what they want and simply want you to deliver.

Identifying the two is not easy. You may find yourself in a meeting in which a client wants to be in charge and wants to make clear demands about what they expect, but it becomes evident that they don’t actually know what they want.

On the contrary, you may find yourself in a meeting with a client who says they are open to your suggestions and creativity, but upon closer inspection, you find that they already had a road map in their heads as to how they wanted this to go and no suggestion you offer seems to appeal to them.

The best approach to identifying a “take control situation” or a “take orders situation” is to come prepared for both. Do your homework before the meeting, as any good freelance writer should. Learn the client/product inside and out so that you can show up to said meeting with a list of ideas. Feel out your client and be prepared to present your ideas, but also be prepared for a situation in which your suggestions may not be encouraged. If you are working with an editor, reach out to your editor ahead of time to ask in-depth questions about your client. Are they looking to you to take a leadership role or to simply deliver on a specific list of demands?

The ideal situation, of course, is to find a client who offers that perfect middle ground whereupon your ideas are welcome and respected, yet your client brings great ideas and suggestions and is able to meet you halfway in planning the course of this writing project.

Client relations are such a tricky thing, but this specific area of professionalism is one of my favorite things in the world. You may have to stroke egos and you may find yourself doing some hand-holding, but when you have achieved a perfect balance with a client you’ll find yourself developing more long-term relationship with clients.

Amanda Smyth Connor is a community manager for a major publishing company, owns her own business, and has managed online communities and content development for many start-up and Fortune 500 companies. She has been a professional editor for more years than she can remember.

advice

Playing the Waiting Game

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By Amanda Smyth Connor1300798_time_distortion

My husband and I are both waiting to hear back about new projects. We’ve been waiting for quite awhile. I’ve been waiting for about three weeks and my husband has been waiting for two and a half months! We have resigned ourselves to not talking about it, because frankly, we are driving each other crazy.

“Did you hear back today?”

“No. When I hear back you’ll be the first to know. Until then, let’s not speak of it. You’ll jinx it.”

And so on and so forth we go, playing the dreaded Waiting Game. We’ve also taken to not telling friends/family about it so that we don’t have to put up with the constant need for well-meaning updates.

We’ve all dealt with this situation – whether it had to do with waiting for a project to start, waiting to hear if you were chosen for the project or new job, or whether you weren’t – and the whole process can be slow and infuriating.  You’ve worked hard! You’ve done your best “tap dancing monkey” routine and you’ve brought out the big guns to impress the hiring party. You’ve done all you can, and now……………………………………………………………………….you wait.

What NOT to do:

1. Draft an email to your client/editor demanding answers that reads:

“Dear Sir/Madam, YOU ARE MAKING MY LIFE A LIVING HELL! When are you going to let me know about the new project? Are we starting this thing or not??! Tinkle or get off the pot! Love, Mandy.”

2. Compose a steady stream of hourly correspondence to your client/editor in a pathetic attempt to get the ball rolling/wear them into submission so that they hire you.

What TO do:

1. Distract yourself. Think happy thoughts and put it out of your head. There’s nothing more you can do. You’ve done your best.

2. Find yourself a Delorean and make like Back To The Future II to speed things up.

3. Refer back to #1.

Stay strong, fellow writers.

Amanda Smyth Connor has managed online communities and nationwide marketing campaigns for several start-up and  Fortune 500 companies, and has been an editor for more years than she can remember.

freelance jobs

Hot Jobs: Community Manager

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By Amanda Smyth Connorherding-cats

One of the hot new jobs popping up for 2011 is the position of community manager. Online community managers carry four main responsibilities:

1. They serve as the online brand ambassador  and work to establish and cultivate communities of users and members. They often serve as the voice of the community, as well as the liaison between the community and the corporation.

2. They track analytics and report back on what marketing and social media strategies are working and what’s not working.

3. They develop communications plans based on customer feedback to better serve the community, while educating other departments, like PR, marketing and social media, on how better to reach said community.

4. They develop content for specific sites to engage the community and keep them coming back for more.

Why should you befriend your local online community manager? #4 on the list above is “develop content.” That’s where freelancers become invaluable to a good community manager. One CM may be responsible for several sites and audiences. It’s rare that one CM would be solely responsible for all of the content creation, thus, it falls on their shoulders to hire the best freelancers and bloggers to assist in creating articles, site copy, blog posts, etc. And if you have some knowledge of SEO practices, you become even MORE invaluable to a CM.

So put out your networking feelers and see who in your mental rolodex might provide an “in” to a CM in need of great writers, like yourselves.

Amanda Smyth Connor has managed online communities and nationwide marketing campaigns for several start-up and  Fortune 500 companies, and has been an editor for more years than she can remember.

advice

The Essential Freelancers Library

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By Amanda Smyth Connor1219898_old_books____2

Every writer should have a solid library that consists primarily of the books that you find most interesting or most inspirational in terms of improving your personal creativity and writing style. However, there are a few basics that every freelancer should have at the ready to prevent you from getting into a sticky situation.

1. The Associated Press Stylebook. This is a no-brainer and most of you are probably in possession of this, however, if you are one of the last holdouts, do yourself a favor and buy a copy. This book will clearly outline how and when to use specific vocabulary, grammar and punctuation while also outlining basic media laws. I’ve been an editor for six years and I pull out this book at least once a week. It’s worth its weight in gold.

2. The Chicago Manual of Style. You need this book because not every client who hires you uses the AP style. Plenty of clients still prefer the Chicago style over the AP style, plus it includes updates for digital media guidelines. Cover your bases and have both of these style books at the ready.

3. The Elements of Style. This elegant little book is a guide to the principle elements of writing. This book is not a rule book like the first two entries in this post. It serves as more of a basic road map for writers of all levels to follow on their journey to improving their writing skills.

4. The Writer’s Block. This kitschy little book has pulled me out of more than a few situations whereupon I found myself staring at a blank screen with a blank mind for hours on end. It comes complete with “786 ideas to jump start your creativity” that include writing exercises, spark words and tips for finding inspiration. It’s cheap, it’s fun and I like to reference this little block-shaped book every few months when my creativity well runs dry.

Have I forgotten anything vital? What are your favorite reference books?

Amanda Smyth Connor is a SEMPO-certified SEO specialist, has managed online communities and nationwide marketing campaigns for several start-up and  Fortune 500 companies, and has been an editor for more years than she can remember. She also runs her own wedding planning company, Hummingbird Bridal and Events, throughout the northeast.

lifestyle

Cupcake Wars and Careers – It’s Funny Where Life Takes You

cupcake-wars-logoBy Amanda Connor

I assume you read this blog because you are serious about being a freelance writer. I try (humbly) to write each post for an audience of serious freelancers, such as yourself. However, we here at FZ have lives that extend beyond the realm of freelancing. We all have families, and colorful personalities, and hobbies (like turntabling!)

Everyone needs to fly their freak flag. My freak flag comes in the form of wedding planning. I am a hard-nosed editor at heart, but by day, I wear a cape of a different color. I own a wedding planning business, but this by no means makes me silly girl who loves unicorns and sparkles. I take my career(s) very seriously.

Two months ago, I was invited by a friend to audition for a Food Network Show called Cupcake Wars. While I have no professional baking background, lucky for me, neither did my friend, who chose to open her cupcake business on a total whim.

“Let’s try out for the show,” she said. “We’ll make total fools of ourselves! It will be fun!” Continue reading Cupcake Wars and Careers – It’s Funny Where Life Takes You →

Marketing yourself

Google Me, Baby: Managing Your Online Identity

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By Amanda Smyth Connor1260785_laptop_work

Last week, I wrote a blog post about a gentleman from a popular television show. Within one hour of my making the post live, he emailed me directly to thank me for my kind compliment of his abilities.

Blew. My. Mind.

First of all, my blog has only been live for a few months and doesn’t exactly have the huge number of page views yet (it will get there. I have hope and some decent SEO skills.) But I am fully aware of my humble blog stats.

Secondly, I can only now refer to him as “He Who Shall Not Be Named” because he obviously does a fantastic job of tracking his online identity. My mention of his name online brought his attention to my blog post immediately. That’s commendable.

What are you doing to track your online identity? Online identity management, or brand management, is one area that most businesses, large or small, are willing to spend millions of dollars on each year. I may not have millions of dollars to spend on my own brand management, but all I need is a little time and a good search engine.

My name is Amanda Connor and once a week, I Google myself. There. I said it. I Google my name and close variations. I read the Yelp reviews regarding my business. I update my LinkedIn connections and I have a VERY strict filter up on my Facebook account. I read up on all of my Twitter followers and I check the status of all old press releases that contain my name from every former company I’ve worked for. I don’t like surprises and I like to know every detail of my life and my business that is available online.

Whether you do it to manage your private life, or you do it to manage your business or professional presence, there is no excuse for not being diligent in managing your online identity. Even if you don’t know what’s online, it is likely that your potential employers and clients do.

Amanda Smyth Connor is a SEMPO-certified SEO specialist, has managed online communities and nationwide marketing campaigns for several start-up and  Fortune 500 companies, and has been an editor for more years than she can remember. She also runs her own wedding planning company, Hummingbird Bridal and Events, throughout the northeast.