Category Archives: Marketing

When is the Best Time to Make Cold Calls

By on May 14th, 2013

Lately, we have been discussing cold calling as a marketing method quite a bit. For example, my last post touched on how to discuss freelance pricing during a cold call. This time around, I want to take a closer look at when you should be making cold calls. If you are going to spend time on the phone, you might as well give yourself the best chance of success. Note: While there are some general rules of thumb to follow, don’t be shy about experimenting with a variety of schedules. Here are three tips that will help you iron out …

No Comments

Posted in Marketing |

How to Discuss Freelance Pricing During a Cold Call

By on April 30th, 2013

For many freelance writers, marketing is the “hot topic” of the day. Not only are these people looking for a marketing strategy that works, but they want to rely on something that doesn’t take up all their time. If this sounds familiar, you have probably given cold calling a second thought at some point in time. This is something we have discussed before. For example, we have talked about everything from cold calling nightmares to questions you may be asked and many topics in between. This time around, let’s consider this: you are on the phone with a prospect, after …

2 Comments

Posted in Marketing |

When Marketing your Services, Let your Passion Shine Through

By on April 16th, 2013

One of the main reasons for your success as a writer is your passion. You love what you do and it shows through in your work. Are you able to take this same passion and translate it to your marketing strategy? If so, you will have an easier time generating interest and landing new clients. Here are three ways to let your passion shine through when marketing your freelance writing services: Provide samples. It is easy to show just how passionate you are when talking about pieces you have published in the past. Don’t be shy about sharing your accomplishments …

1 Comment

Posted in Marketing |

Are you Following up on your Marketing Activity?

By on April 2nd, 2013

If you are going to market your freelance writing services, you might as well do whatever you can to achieve as much success as possible. This means following up on all activity, from cold calls to direct mail and everything in between. It is easy to believe that your marketing strategy will take care of itself the first time around. However, this is not always the case. For example, if you are going to rely on direct mail you should get in the habit of contacting each person within a couple of weeks to follow up. This gives you a …

No Comments

Posted in Marketing |

What is your Biggest Marketing Fear?

By on March 19th, 2013

For many freelance writers, marketing is not something they enjoy. In fact, this is something they fear for one reason or the next. But why? Why do so many people shy away from this when it could help take their career to the next level? Here are three reasons why some writers avoid creating a detailed marketing strategy: Afraid it won’t work. Let’s face it: some things you do to market your services will be effective while others will come up empty. This is all part of being a freelance writer. If you are afraid to fail you are going …

8 Comments

Posted in Marketing |

Implementing a Marketing Strategy: Block Off Your Schedule

By on March 5th, 2013

Like most freelance writers, your primary passion is writing. Makes sense, right? While there is nothing wrong with wanting to spend all your time writing, you cannot afford to overlook the marketing aspects of your business. If you have yet to implement a marketing strategy, there is no better time than now to change your ways. What is holding you back? One of the most common concerns among writers is as follows: they don’t have enough time to focus on both writing and marketing. While this can be true to a certain extent, it is important to make time for …

7 Comments

Posted in Marketing |

How to Increase Call Backs from Voicemail Messages

By on February 19th, 2013

If you spend any amount of time cold calling, you will soon find that your primary targets are not always available to talk. For this reason, you have two options: Call back at a later time and/or date Leave a voicemail message and hope for a return call While there are pros and cons of both options, I always prefer to leave a voicemail message. With so many prospects out there, you don’t want to waste time as you continually double back for follow-up calls. Of course, leaving a message doesn’t do you any good unless the person calls you …

1 Comment

Posted in Marketing |

When to Seek New Freelance Writing Opportunities

By on February 13th, 2013

It can be easy to get comfortable in a routine as a freelance writer. And sometimes that means we don’t continue to market our services as much as we should — something we should do even when our schedules are full. So today let’s look at some signs that you should seek out new freelance writing opportunities. Some are signs that you’ve waited too long and need to kick your marketing into high gear, and some are simply signs that you might be due for a change. You lost a client. I know this one is obvious, but it doesn’t …

12 Comments

Posted in Freelance Writing Jobs, Marketing |

Spending Money on Marketing – How Much is too Much?

By on February 5th, 2013

As a freelance writer, new clients are your lifeblood. The more gigs you land the more money you will earn. Pretty simple, right? Your marketing plan is going to determine how much success you have in this area of your business. While true that some marketing strategies are free, others are going to set you back a few dollars from time to time. This leads to one very important question: how much is too much to spend on marketing related tasks? My best advice is to set a monthly budget for marketing expenses. This gives you a “set” amount of …

3 Comments

Posted in Marketing |

Are you Comfortable Meeting with Prospects in Person?

By on January 25th, 2013

Although it may be uncommon, there may come a time when you need to meet with a prospect in person. While you are not required to do so, if you turn down the invitation it could very well kill your chance of making a deal. Is that what you want? Some writers have no problem meeting with prospects and clients in person. Others try to avoid this at all costs. Early in my career, this was not something I was interested in doing. I would have rather stayed in my office, working on projects and contacting prospects in other ways. …

3 Comments

Posted in Marketing |