A lot of you guys and gals have expressed an interested in learning more about the freelance writer – client relationship. If this is something that is on your mind you are not alone. It is important for your clients to feel comfortable with you at all times. Not only does this make things better for them, but it does the same for you along the way.
Feeling comfortable means something different to every client. This is why you need to be open to every type of relationship. Some clients may want to feel 100 percent comfortable calling you on the phone at any time of the day to ask a question. Others may not care about this, but want to know that you are always on the same page as them. Simply put, it is part of your job to know what your clients want and then to make them feel at home with you at all times. This is often times easier said than done.
It is important to remember that it takes time to forge a solid relationship. In other words, don’t expect a new client to feel comfortable with you from day one. It should be your goal to make this happen over the course of many weeks or months. Soon enough you will begin to realize that you are comfortable working with the client. From there, you can only hope that they feel the same way.
How will I ever know for sure? Don’t be afraid to ask your clients for feedback. There is nothing wrong with sending a quick email asking a client if they are comfortable with your relationship and the work you have been doing for them. This is the number one way to learn exactly where you stand.
Hopefully this information will help you realize just how important it is for your clients to feel comfortable with you.Â
I enjoy freelance writing too much to ever give it up. That being said, there are other ways to make money online that correspond nicely with a career as a freelance writer. Learning more about these other opportunities may open quite a few doors for you. Are you willing to expand into other areas if it means earning more money?
Here are three other ways many freelance writers are earning additional online income:
1. Blogging. Believe it or not, you can earn a lot of money by having a popular blog. The nice thing about this is that you are in charge of what you blog about, the topics you choose, and how you decide to monetize your project. While this blog makes me some extra money each month, it is far from my most profitable website.
2. Develop web properties. This is very similar to blogging. If you enjoy writing, as well as other aspects of web development, such as design, you should consider creating websites/blogs as income earners. At this time I have approximately 15 websites/blogs that generate monthly income on auto-pilot. Not only is this profitable, but it is a great chance of pace to my regular freelance writing workload.
3. Affiliate marketing. Some freelance writers will enjoy this, others won’t. Affiliate marketing is the act of selling a product or service for somebody else. When successful, the end result is payment (commission) based on a predetermined percentage of the sale price. I dabble a bit in affiliate marketing, and have found it to be quite exciting. This is especially true when it comes time to write the sales copy for my campaigns.
If you are a freelance writer you may want to consider the other ways you can make money online. The three ideas above are a good place to start.Â
As a freelance writer my number one task is to produce compelling content for my clients. But this is not the only thing I do. Sure, I spend 95 percent of my time writing but there are other things that I do for my freelance writing clients as well. Have you ever taken the time to think about other ways that you can assist your clients?
Many of my clients come to me for help with developing an overall content and marketing strategy. In other words, they know what they need but are not sure what to do with it. Take for example a client that is interested in starting a corporate blog. Not only do I put time into writing the content, but I also assist in marketing and other developmental related details. And of course, they pay me for all of this. Over time, helping clients with more than writing has allowed me to learn a lot about other industries. A lot of the experiences I have picked up have helped me to successfully launch my own projects.
Some clients simply want to use me as a sounding board. They will call me with questions and ideas, and hope that I can give them some solid, professional feedback. Even though I usually don’t get paid for this, it is something I enjoy doing. Not to mention the fact that it helps me forge a better relationship with the client. In many cases this leads to more work down the line.
Don’t think of yourself as just a freelance writer. Chances are that you can bring many other skills to the table. Make sure your clients are 100 percent aware of what you can do for them. This way they know where to turn when something new comes up.Â
