Category Archives: Marketing yourself

advice, freelance money, Marketing yourself, social networking

Writing about ourselves

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Most writers generally love to write, but the introverts among us may need to get a little more outgoing when writing about ourselves.words-laptopWhether sending a query letter, pitching an idea to an editor, or writing our bio for a newsletter, we often use the same old words: “Samantha is a full-time freelance writer.” Or, “Jason writes about music, sports and media.”

Let me suggest you take a little time this week to jazz up your bio, beef up your credentials, and spread a little enthusiasm for your work.

I stress the importance of platform when speaking with writers, especially those trying to attract the attention of an agent and publisher. A strong, polished presence on Facebook, a good blog, and lots of friends on Twitter and the laggard, Google+, seems to be the minimum requirement for the foundation of a solid visible platform.

Editors who want to hire a writer don’t want to take a chance on assigning an article without seeing your work.

In addition to sending clips, usually via web links or PDF, make sure your online presence conveys the right impression of you as a writer for hire.

Recently,  I saw an ad for freelance writer/bloggers for a health/fitness site, and their platform request even required links to two of your social profiles, as well as a three-sentence description of yourself and your work.

Now that’s an exercise worth doing. First, by requiring you to prove your have some sophistication with social media, and that you’re not embarrassed to have them see your profile, and challenging you to write three really great sentences that sum up your value to them as a freelance writer.

Making money online starts with the showing how good you are. If you can bring readers, you’re ahead of other writers who apply. If you’re up for it, write a blurb, no more than 100 words about your work as a freelancer by clicking the “Comments” above, near the title of this post. Okay, I’ll go first…

BIO: Helen Gallagher blogs at Freelance-Zone.com to share her thoughts on small business and technology. She writes and speaks on publishing. Her blogs and books are accessible through www.releaseyourwriting.com. Helen is a member of ASJA, Small Publishers Artists & Writers Network, and several great Chicago-area writing groups.

Marketing yourself

5 Website Mistakes That Most Writers Make

by Diane Holmes, Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book, founder of Pitch University.

Ah, the well-designed website!

Sigh. Writers have some craptastic websites, don’t they? No, I don’t mean you. I mean the “other” writers.

There are exceptions, writers who not only write good content, but also develop a well-designed, effective website.

But most writers have a do-it-yourself mentality (due to budget), so they figure out how to get something “up,” and they equate “something” with “awesome.”

websites that suck

#1  It looks homemade.

You think: “Look, Ma, I made that!”

They think: “If this represents the best they have to offer, then it’s not up to our standards.”

* Your website should be just as professional as your client’s website. Any client?  No.  Your best client.

If your clients don’t own websites, then aim to match or exceed the sites they consider similar to yours.

#2  I can’t read this mess.

You think: “I’ve got everything I need up there and it looks great.”

They think: “I can’t see that tiny font, and I especially can’t read that gray-colored font on that darker gray background or that weird glow effect.  And there’s so much freaking clutter, I can’t tell what to look at.”

* Reading, in the internet world, means skimming and finding your way around the site.  Your site visitors need to be able to skim your homepage in a couple second, get the key information, and decide to stay.

#3  Who is your customer, client, or buyer?

You think: “I like to write and sell my writing.  I’m for hire!” (Or “I have a book!!!”

They think: “I’m looking for something specific, and all I see here is someone who generally likes to write and is desperate for work.”

* You should be thinking: “I know who you are, and I’m here to delight you.”

Then focus on just that portion of the population who will really get you and who you’ll really delight.

#4 We need to talk about your personality.

You think: “I have to include this information.”

They think: “There’s nothing here that really gets me excited; it’s just information.”

* Have a voice. Create a relationship.  Be interesting, dynamic, and unique.  Make them say, “That’s the guy!  I’d love to work with him.”

You think: “Hire me now!!!  Call in the next 30 seconds!  I’m excellent and wonderful combined with chocolate.”

They think: “Hey, I’m in control of this visit, and I’m clicking the back button right now.”

* You can’t force people to want your writing.  But you can be excited about what you do and present it so that your perfect audience recognizes you as amazing.

#5 Info, info, info… all about you.

You think: “They came to the website to find out about me, me, me.”

They think: “I’m going to the website to see if there’s something I want.”

* You should be thinking: “They’re coming to my website wanting and needing something specific, and I’ll show them I have the perfect solution.”

Not communicating the problem or need you’re solving and the benefit you’re providing is a huge mistake. That’s how visitors decide if the website and YOU are a match to what they were hoping to find.

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Diane Holmes Crop 1Diane writes two columns for Freelance-Zone: Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery and Marketing-Zone:Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book.

She’s the Founder and Chief Alchemist of Pitch University.

Marketing yourself

Write like Freddy Krueger (free-webinar on Thursday)

by Diane Holmes, Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book, founder of Pitch University.

–>  If you want to learn more about marketing, if you want to learn to write faster, this column is for you.

Confession

As a professional writer, my idea of a good time is learning more about the craft-of-writing.  I am a class junkie.

(Anyone else hear the word “vacation” and think, “Oh, a writers’ conference!”? Yeah, it’s kinda sad.)

In fact, I filter everything I read, watch, or vaguely overhear by sheer accident (or good fortune) through my writing-techniques filter.  (You know you’re a writer when everyday life gets evaluated against the criteria of “original storytelling” or “research for an article series.”)

So, when I heard about Danny Iny’s new course called “Write Like Freddy Krueger,” I dropped what I was doing (I call this “procrastination for good”), and checked out his new program.

The Good Stuff

Let me just give you the no-cost webinar details up front.

Danny is running a free webinar tomorrow so you can learn more about his Freddy program: Thursday, March 29 @ 3pm EST. 

Sign up now, I’ll wait.

Excellent.  See you there.

“Without Having To Be a Great Writer”

Why would great (a.k.a professional) writers listen to a webinar or take a course designed for people who aren’t “great writers”?

That, my friend, is a very good question.

Answer #1  Danny’s expertise is marketing. 

You have a chance to learn more about writing for the Internet in ways that will enhance and market your, ahem, professional writing.

Answer #2  Danny promises to talk about writing strategically *and* writing fast.   

Being focused on the right things and “laying it down” are the very best companions to quality writing, career building, and keeping clients happy. 

Juicy Details

I met Danny Iny in Corbett Barr’s (of ThinkTraffic) 4-month, expert class on building your website and traffic.  At the time, Danny was creating his new website (as co-founder) called Firepole Marketing.

Love that name, don’t you?

Anyway,  I’ve kinda kept up with him, because  I’m a marketing-geek and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. (I’m building my own world of nice guys who finish first.  Come be on my planet.)

So here, then, is Danny’s Official Freddy Curriculum:

(I love the items that are focused on making sure you’ll be a success before you write, writing fast, and then getting the most mileage out of it, after the fact.)

  • How to find the very best places to publish your posts (to get tons of traffic, build a great reputation, and make lots of sales)
  • What the three criteria are for deciding whether to post on a blog, or whether you’re better off not wasting your time
  • How to come up with a winning angle for your post, every single time (even if it’s your first time writing for a new audience!)
  • How to know that your posts will perform well and be shared, before you write a single word
  • How to write guest post proposals that will get accepted on major authority blogs, even if you don’t have a relationship with the blog owner
  • How to choose a headline that will make people read your post – even if you aren’t a writer!
  • How to outline an entire post in less than 10 minutes (this is the same process that I use on ALL of my posts)
  • How to make sure that you don’t run out of ideas, and your posts are always “meaty” and full of great content and information
  • How to write posts that makes people want to print them out and put them on their walls! (that’s the best compliment a blogger or writer can get, and you’ll get it a lot!)
  • How to control when a post will be published on somebody else’s blog (and stay out of the limbo of not knowing when or whether your post will be published)
  • What steps to take after your post has been published to get waaaay more mileage out of it (it amazes me that nobody thinks to do this!)
  • How to get extra SEO “link juice” out of your guest posts on authority blogs
  • How your guest posts can help you build relationships with the entire blogosphere (without having to write a ton of posts!)

More Info on Danny:

Danny Iny (@DannyIny)

The Freddy Krueger of Blogging

Author of Engagement from Scratch!

Instructor on how to get more cash from any business, website, or blog.

And entrepreneur who never wants to grow up!

Plus, he wrote 14 posts and 17,481 words in 6 days.

 

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Diane Holmes Crop 1Diane writes two columns for Freelance-Zone: Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery and Marketing-Zone:Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book.

She’s the Founder and Chief Alchemist of Pitch University.

Marketing yourself

8 Secret Reasons You Hate Marketing Your Writing (Part 3)

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by Diane Holmes, Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book, founder of Pitch University.

I have a goodie for you today.

You’ll either think I’ve been loitering around in the primordial soup of your soul, or smoking crack.

That’s because this one’s more personal, more hidden, more determined by personality type than career.

But I assure you that some of the best writers in the world will be raising their hands and saying, “Yeah, yeah, that’s what held me back for years.  You wouldn’t believe it now, but this used to be me.”

Read on.

Secret #5 –  My Writing Isn’t Even That Good

YOU: I’m fine, just fine. Until I start to do marketing. Until I start thinking about telling strangers they should buy my writing, my services, my book. Going out and getting business.

Then I realize something horrible.

Simon says no

I’m just someone who tries to write. An unknown person in a huge ocean filled with fish who get interviewed on Oprah.

I’m (sob) not that good.

  • Not to put my writing out there.
  • Not to bid on that huge contract.
  • Not to say, “Look at me! I’m awesome sauce and a bag of chips and a valued resource.”

Ack.

ME: At this point, you’re full-tilt into a crisis of confidence. This is all about insecurity. Because really, how do we know we’re any good? Where’s the proof?  You know, unless someone else tells us.

Oh, yeah, and we believe them.

How many people does it take to tell us we’re wonderful, how many to buy our writing, before we allow ourselves to believe it?

Because if we’re smart at all, we know that the opposite of insecurity is insisting we’re the next American Idol (!), without realizing we can’t carry a tune. Continue reading 8 Secret Reasons You Hate Marketing Your Writing (Part 3) →

advice, Marketing yourself

Networking Mistakes

I’m a fan of CNNMoney’s “Ask Annie” column, which generally contains solid advice for job seekers or people trying to survive corporate life, but often has insights applicable to freelancers. Annie’s most recent article, “6 networking mistakes job hunters make,” offers some great tips for when you’re looking for freelance jobs through networking channels. It’s worth reading the whole thing, but here’s a quick look at the highlights.

  • First, she takes to task the idea of asking “do you know of anything?” It’s non-specific and just comes across as lazy and, even worse, desperate. Make sure you’re putting targeted ideas into peoples’ heads in order that they can help you more easily and accurately, and that they can see you’ve done your homework.
  • Neglecting to reconnect with people you haven’t seen or spoken to in a while. This is a tried-and-true strategy for referral-focused freelancers. Last week I met with an old contact to meet for lunch and we had a great time swapping travel tales and childrearing travails, and it turns out he’s got a contact at a national magazine that might be a good fit for me. The point is, don’t feel like you’re “imposing” if it’s someone you have/had a good relationship with. In fact, he felt guilty about not having contacted me first–and he picked up the tab!
  • Relying too much on social networking—again, this comes across as lazy and probably fruitless. If you want the best freelance gigs, you need to reach out with your stellar personality (it is stellar, right?) in a more personal way.

Just like sales and marketing, networking doesn’t have to be cheesy, sleazy, or artificial. But you do have to make a concerted, strategic effort…or you’re likely wasting what little time and energy you put into it.

Contributing writer Jake Poinier blogs regularly as Dr. Freelance and runs an Phoenix-based editorial services firm, Boomvang Creative Group.

advice, blogging, client relationships, editorial, freelance money, Marketing yourself

What Freelancers Can Learn From ING Direct and Capitol One

Capitol One ING DIRECTAs some who writes about the banking industry, consumer issues, branding, and PR, I found many of my writing pursuits converging this morning with a thoughtful article by Brad Tuttle at Time MoneyLand about the merger of the much-beloved online bank ING Direct with Capitol One.

For many of those familiar with both companies, and for those with ING Direct accounts, this created a wave of panic.

The Capitol One takeover of ING Direct, according to Capitol One sources named in Brad Tuttle’s article, is not supposed to affect ING operations. Tuttle writes,”…Capital One says it has ‘no plans’ to make changes, which is not the same as a guarantee.”

He also adds something quite important about branding. Capitol One apparently plans to re-brand ING Direct as Capitol One, which in the eyes of many is a gigantic mistake–the ING Direct brand is well-loved, trusted and respected.

Capitol One does not necessarily share that love or command that respect with its own products, practices, or services. Worse yet, ING Direct has made a point of branding itself as a customer-focused alternative to the practices of companies like Capitol One.

Tuttle writes, “The ING Direct ‘Savers’ blog is known for posts that mock banks that hammer customers with fees. Recent example: A call-out to readers asking them to end the sentence, ‘You need checking fees like you need …’ But the blog is mum on the Capital One merger, offering no insight as to what customers can expect down the line in terms of fees.”

Capitol One officials give non-answer corporate doublespeak when asked directly about the addition of the new fees ING Direct so staunchly opposes.

Branding is very important, and as Capitol One execs are about to learn, the pro-customer/anti-fee stance of ING Direct is a critical part of its brand. Will ING Direct customers depart once the Capitol One brand takeover is complete? Will they wait and see whether “the fee monster” comes to get them once ING orange is replaced by Capitol One blue?

Time will tell.

Capitol One’s business practices may or may not at all mirror what ING Direct has established as its customer-friendly bottom line–altering ING Direct’s much valued customer service policies could be a fatal blow to the trust levels associated with the ING brand.

But of course, Capitol One has eliminated that “problem” because it’s eliminating the brand altogether.  The trusted ING brand will be gone. What does Capitol One plan on replacing it with?

And what can freelancers learn from any of this?

It’s critical to insure the changes you make to your brand as a freelancer don’t damage the reputation you’ve tried so hard to build. Even if you need to change gears in your freelance work–slowing down or changing the type of freelancing clients you’re after–it is very important to keep your current customers in mind when making the switch.

Newcomers to your freelance work might not even know the difference, but the effect your branding changes have on your current clientele should not be underestimated. Announcing and implementing your changes should be done with great care.

Any changes in branding, approach, or operations should communicate you as a solid, reliable, dependable resource. Capitol One’s shortcomings in the takeover of ING Direct have as much to do with their lack of reassurances for the current customers as it does the elimination of a very successful brand in its entirety.

Capitol One’s behavior implies–right or wrong–that it does not care what ING customers think. That’s the wrong approach, whether by accident, omission, bad timing, whatever. Don’t make the same mistake by forgetting your past and current client base. Let them know they can still rely on you for services rendered, future work, or at the very least, that you stand by your previous work even though you may not be available for new projects.

You might be changing your mission statement, your focus, your deliverables, or your industry…at the very least you owe it to your clients to let them know what they can expect from you in the future.