Is your marketing plan letting you down? Are you finding it difficult to land new clients? If you answered yes to either of these questions you need to make some immediate changes. The question is: what changes should you focus on?
Here are three things you can do to better your marketing plan today:
1. Keep track of what is and is not working. This is the biggest mistake that many freelance writers make when it comes to their marketing plan. They do not know what is working because they are not keeping track. A simple spreadsheet will make it easy for you to chart your successes and failures.
2. Get rid of anything that is not working. Are you spending a lot of time on cold calls but not seeing any results? If so, cut this out for the time being and replace it with something that has been more effective. There is no point in charting what is working if you are not going to use this information to your advantage.
3. Give everything a try. Some writers have a marketing plan, but it only includes one or two methods of generating clients. You need to give everything a try. This includes cold calls, cold emails, your own website, query letters, etc.
If you are looking for ways to better your marketing plan you should consider the three simple changes outlined above. All of them will lead to a better plan which will eventually result in more clients and increased profits.
As a freelance writer you definitely need a website and/or blog to showcase your abilities to potential clients. If you are not attempting to generate new clients via the internet you are holding yourself back. In my opinion, it is very important for every freelance writer to have and use a website.
I have several websites that bring in new clients. Additionally, I manage this blog which also attracts clients and those interested in partnering with me. Believe it or not, it is very easy to create a website and blog that can be used to show off your talent and offerings. If you are not up to it, you can always hire a professional to design and code your site. For a few hundred dollars you should be able to get exactly what you want and need.
Will my site bring in a lot of new clients? Right away, the answer is usually no. It will take a while before your site gains traction. For instance, the first six months of this blog were slow. I had a few readers, but not too many people were asking about my services. Sometime around the one year mark I gained traction, my search engine rankings increased, and more and more people were asking about my services. You need to be patient if you want your website/blog to payoff in the long run.
If you are serious about your career as a freelance writer you need a website to showcase your talent. Soon enough your website(s) will be attracting new clients and making it easy for you to expand your business.
There are many ways to land new clients as a freelance writer. One that I talk about from time to time is cold calling. This is not something that most freelance writers like to do, but it can be quite effective. Just like anything else, if you want to have success with cold calling you need to know what you are doing. There is a right and a wrong way of doing this. What you say and how you say it will determine the success you have.
Keep in mind that not every cold call is going to result in a new client. In fact, you are bound to get hung up on and told no more times than not. Your goal is to stick with things until something breaks your way. It may take a couple of calls to land a client. It may take 50 or more. Will you stay persistent?
Have a list. If you are going to make cold calls you need to have a list to work from. For instance, you may want to cold call every real estate agent in your area to offer your services. Start out by compiling a list of agents by searching online and in the phone book. This way you can move from one call to the next without stopping.
Once you get the proper person on the phone you should give a short introduction explaining who you are and what you offer. If the person shows interest you can continue to offer more information on yourself and what you can do for them. Some people will give you a job on the spot. Others will tell you to email your resume, clips, etc. It should be your main goal to either land a gig or setup a second conversation on the phone or via email. It often times takes several calls and/or emails until you receive good news.
Finally, don’t give up if you are getting rejected time after time. This is a mistake. As noted above, you will get rejected more times than not. You have to continue forward with the thought that you will eventually land a new client.
Hopefully this information gives you the knowledge and confidence needed to implement a cold calling strategy.
