POST #6: 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

PUBLISHER NOTE: If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know about the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. Details.

Many have inquired about what will be discussed at the seminar. So, in order to answer your questions and to get you prepared for what to expect, I've started a series of posts entitled "40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career."

To start at the beginning, click here. And, welcome to the blog. Now, on to today’s post . . .

Researching for Dollars

In yesterday’s post, we talked about how to get PR for your business. We also explained the difference between PR and advertising. So, if you haven’t read this post, please go back and do so because you will better utilize the information we’re going to go over today.

As I said in Post #3 when we went over niche marketing, once you decide on a niche, it’s time to learn everything you can about them. This is the only way you're going to be able to decide the who, what, where, when, why and how’s of marketing to them -- effectively.

To illustrate this point, following is a personal example.

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.
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Case Study: How One Freelance Writer’s “New Career” Took Her Right Back to Her Old One – More Profitably

I was a loan officer for a hot minute a couple of years ago (I was going through a career crisis and tried something different). I’ll discuss this – how to tell if this is a career for you – in a future post.

The mortgage brokers I processed loans through had been in business for 13+ years. They were having trouble drumming up business though. At the current time, they were running an expensive radio ad campaign and it wasn’t as effective as they’d hoped it would be.

When I hard all of this, my immediate thought was, “Why are you trying to drum up new business when you have 13+ years of old clients you can market to?”

While old clients consistently called them and also sent referrals to them, they weren’t actively keeping in touch with their old clients. So, I gave them two ideas to implement to drum up business – almost immediately: i) start a monthly e-newsletter; ii) mail a monthly postcard.

I explained to them the old marketing idiom that 80% of their business comes from 20% of their clients. They told me that they knew this intrinsically, but “didn’t have time to follow up.”

How to Make Clients Realize They Need You

When I heard this I asked them, “Who would you loan $50 to if they asked – a stranger, or a friend you’ve given a loan to before and who has paid you back?”

Of course, they both said the friend. I told them, this is exactly the same scenario. Old clients know, trust and respect you. There’s no need to convince them. It’s an easy sale.

Simply staying in contact with them will garner you many referrals (new clients) and repeat business. I told them, "The best thing about referrals – you don’t have to do nearly as much selling to them because the person who referred them is usually someone they know. And, that’s all most need. If it's good enough for my friend, it's good enough for me."

I think this is when they realized how I could help them – it was their “light bulb” moment, so to speak.

Marketing Tip to Remember: I remember reading a survey a few years ago that when consumers comparison shop, most only compare one or two vendors for the product/service they are considering buying. Please get the distinction here – this is when they bother to compare at all.

So, I explained to the brokers that if you are able to become “top of mind” for clients when they are looking for mortgage services, you have an excellent chance of them using you.

So, why did I tell you all of this? What does this have to do with research? Well, I learned a ton.

1) Many mortgage brokers are mom and pop shops consisting of less than 5 full-time employees, excluding loan officers

2) Many don’t have the time/money/knowledge/etc. to mount advertising campaigns

3) Most have the money to do low-cost, long-term marketing

4) Many rely on word-of-mouth advertising

5) Most don’t have their databases organized into a functional system

6) Many would love, love, love to have someone “handle their marketing”

7) Most process between 5-15 loans/month – depending on how many loan officers they have

8) Most have problems hiring dependable, productive loan officers

9) Turnover is extremely high in the industry

10) The loan processor is the “nerve center” of the office – he/she usually acts as the processor, admin asst, receptionist, girl Friday, etc.

There are so many ways to use this type of info it’s scary. Eg, design a campaign to hire productive staff, create a training manual for new loan officers, send out a monthly newsletter to stay in touch with existing clients, create a referral incentive marketing campaign, etc.

The whole reason you want to know details about a niche is so you can touch upon their “sore spots/weaknesses” when you contact them. This way, they feel like you understand them and can solve their problem.

Remember, prospects don’t’ respond to ads, they respond to your ability to help them solve a problem. To know the problem, you have to know the niche.

Unbeknownst to me, my “new career” had brought me right back to my old one – but with a twist. I discovered that I really loved marketing, advising, teaching and dispensing information. About a year later is when the idea for freelance writing seminars was born. It melded all of what I love to do in one box.

How to Research Your Niche and Make Every Marketing Campaign a Success

After all of this you may be thinking, “It was easy for you to find out information about this niche – you worked in the field. How does that help me?” Following are three things you can do to research any niche.

3 Ways to Research a Niche Market & Make More Money – FREE

1. Go to the Source: After picking the brain of my brokers, I started to ask questions of other mortgage brokers. Many times at networking events, I told mortgage brokers that I was a freelance writer targeting their sector and wanted to find out as much as I could about what they needed.

This served two purposes: i) it made them aware of my services; and ii) it let them know that I was truly interested in helping them to increase their business. It also started them to thinking about new ways of marketing.

One thing you’ll find – especially with small business owners – is that they love to talk about their business. Usually, with minimal prompting, you can get them to talking. Soak up as much as you can from these conversations, for it’ll help you immensely in your marketing efforts.

2. Professional Organizations: As I mentioned in the previous point, I network a lot. Every niche is usually represented by some professional organization.

Find these organizations and join their lists – where possible. Sign up to receive their newsletters, read their websites, go to their networking events, etc. This way, you’ll stay abreast of the changes in their industry and will stay in the loop as to what’s important to them.

3. Tap Industry Affiliates: What I mean by this is, talk to people who do business with your niche market. In the case of mortgage brokers, they do business with real estate agents, appraisers, title companies, landscaping services, etc.

Ask these professionals questions about the niche you’re targeting. A side benefit of this is, you introduce yourself to another market you may be able to target.

One of the reasons being a loan officer interested me is that years ago in New York City, I was a real estate agent. So, I had some inside knowledge of what loan officers were and what they did. So, my niche is really the real estate industry – although I target primarily real estate agents and mortgage brokers within this sector.

Just by doing these three things, you will find out a wealth of information about your target market. Use this info to help you formulate marketing campaigns that help them solve everyday problems.

In the case of the two mortgage brokers I worked with, they had a database of over 11,000 clients. BUT, the information was in old file folders and stored on old computer disks.

Segment Your Database for Maximum Sales

I advised them to hire someone to come in and i) get all the contacts into a searchable database; and ii) sort the info so that they could more easily market to it (eg, separate contacts by purchases and refi’s). This would help them to market more effectively. How?

For example, if you had a database of all the clients who had refinanced through you, then you could send them postcards reminding them that the terms of their ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) was about to expire so they should call you for a FREE consultation on how to get into a fixed rate mortgage.

I told them, just imagine that if you only did 2-3 of those a month at an average refi cost of $4,000. That’s $8,000-$12,000/month – and it only cost you a postcard.

I hope I’ve illustrated how knowing your marketing can make selling to them (sharing your services with them) so much easier. Remember, you are not marketing your freelance services, you are selling solutions to problems. This requires knowledge of the sector.

Every time you sit down to write a marketing piece, keep this in mind.

So, what’s on tap for Monday (I know it’s a holiday, but I will be posting anyway)?

MONDAY'S POST: In Post #7 on Monday, we’ll discuss some technical aspects of marketing, eg, drip campaigns (you’re gonna love this cuz it means more money for you), how to retain customers once you get them, etc.

What do you think? If you have questions, comments or observations about this post, send them in. Email them to info [at] InkwellEditorial.com.

Happy Labor Day!
Yuwanda (who is this person?)
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Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue of Inkwell's freelance writing newsletter? The 8/15 issue featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.

NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!
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Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
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Post #5: 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

PUBLISHER NOTE: If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know about the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. Details.

Many have inquired about what will be discussed at the seminar. So, in order to answer your questions and to get you prepared for what to expect, I've started a series of posts entitled "40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career."

To start at the beginning, click here. And, welcome to the blog. Now, on to today’s post . . .
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In yesterday’s post, we discussed how to and let go of the starving writer’s mentality so that you free yourself to target high-paying markets. The post also discussed 7 rules to follow to get the rate you want.

One of these rules was PR --- but not in the sense that you think. So, what exactly do I mean? First, let’s make the distinction between PR and advertising.

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.
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Which Works Better: PR or Advertising?

PR is usually when you get free coverage from the media. Eg, a local newspaper profiles your business, you are quoted in an article, your seminar is mentioned in the local Chamber of Commerce newsletter, etc.

Advertising is what you pay for – eg, an ad in the Yellow Pages, a banner on the side of a bus, etc.

Both of these – advertising and PR – fall under the larger heading of marketing. Which one do you think works best? The answer is usually PR. When you think about it, it makes sense. When you pay for an ad, you are actively soliciting customers for your business.

BUT, when you get PR, potential customers view it as a third-party endorsement of your services. Eg, you were popular enough/successful enough/knowledgeable enough to be profiled in the community newspaper.

A combination of both methods – advertising and PR -- should be used to grow your business. But, when you are just starting out and don’t have much money, all of your marketing can be PR-related – and it can be free.

2 Ways You Can Get PR for Your Freelance Writing Services – Quickly – and for FREE!

A. Local Newspapers: As you’re about to get into the freelance writing business, this is an excellent venue to start.

You can get free coverage in your local paper in a number of ways: a) cover a neighborhood event, write up a story and send it in to the editor. Use a byline like, “Yuwanda Black is a freelance business writer. She blogs at InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com.”

Now, it may take you a few tries to get in the paper, but if it’s a local community paper – you will get coverage before long. I practically guarantee it. How do I know? I did this when I lived in New York City. I took another route, which you can use too.

b) Pitch a column to the paper: I called the local editor and pitched my small business column to her. I told her that I frequently wrote on small business issues and would like to contribute a small business column to the paper, which didn’t have one.

To my surprise, she called me back a couple of weeks later and offered to take me to lunch to discuss it.

While she did not buy my column idea – she did ask me to write a few articles for the paper, covering local events from a small business perspective.

Background Info: I wrote a small business column a few years ago called EntrepreDoer, which focused on the problems and concerns of "micropreneurs."

I self-syndicated the column, which just means that I sold it to outlets myself. The column was published by newspapers and e-zines alike, including, Greater Diversity News; The Mississippi Link; The New York Christian Times; Houston Style; Caribbean Life; and UrbanVoicesOnline.com; among others.

Lesson Here: Local newspapers are excellent sources for getting the word out about your business – and setting yourself up as an expert. Seeing your name in print week after week gives you the type of coverage and professional credibility that practically no amount of paid-for advertising can buy.

Sue Fagalde Lick, author of Freelancing for Newspapers writes, “You have more of a chance of becoming a household name via the newspaper than you do from a hundred magazine articles.” Why?

Because most community newspapers are literally starving for fresh, relevant content written in a professional, concise manner. As many publish daily and have small staffs, they rely heavily on freelancers. So, pick up the phone and call your local editor, or send them a query via email.

FYI, I hope to interview Sue in a future issue of Inkwell Editorial’s newsletter.

B. Free Case-Study Ebook: As I wrote in Post #2, explain to potential customers how you can help them increase their sales.

An excellent way to do this is to create an e-book featuring a case study as a free giveaway. Don’t have data to do a case study? Don’t worry, the study doesn’t have to be real, it can be hypothetical.

For example, I can increase your sales 15-25% by doing the following:

a) rewrite your website, which will convert more prospects into paying customers;

b) create an e-book as a free giveaway – this will do two things, eg, convert prospects into paying customers more quickly; and increase the number of subscribers who sign up to your newsletter; and

c) include a “personal” section in your newsletter, which will bond customers to you faster. Why is this important? People do business with those they know, like and trust.

Including a personal section in your newsletter will give them a window into who you are as a person. It will be so much easier to share your services with them (eg, convince them to use you) once this bond has been established.

Writing a case-study ebook and sending it to potential clients via email won’t cost you anything but time. And, the long-range benefits are immeasurable.

In addition to distributing the ebook to prospects, distribute it free to the media. Write a press release about it. Don’t know how to do this? In a future post, we’ll discuss this in the context of “Shock Marketing.”

FREE Giveaway Ebook for Freelance Writers: Click here to get a feel for what this type of ebook is all about. Its sole purpose is to get clients to use freelance writers.

These are just two things you can do to get some PR for your business. The only thing they cost is time. Doing this type of marketing consistently will bring those high-net-worth clients I wrote about yesterday.

NOTE: One thing I failed to mention yesterday is that to attract the right clients, you have to do the right kind of advertising.

Successful small business owners, the niche I target, most likely read a local newspaper and are in touch with technology and advanced marketing mediums (eg, case studies). So, reaching them via these outlets is relatively easy.

TOMORROW’S POST: In Post #6 tomorrow, we’ll discuss how to find info on your target marketing – in essence, researching them – so that you can more effectively market to them.

What do you think? If you have questions, comments or observations about this post, send them in. Email them to info [at] InkwellEditorial.com.

Sincerely,
Yuwanda (who is this person?)
**************************************************
Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue of Inkwell Editorial’s freelance writing newsletter? The 8/15 issue featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.

NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!
************************************************
Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
**************************************************
Like what you read here? Find the content useful and informative? Make us a Technorati Favorite. Simply click the Technorati icon at the top right-hand corner of the page.

POST #4: 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

PUBLISHER NOTE: If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know about the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. Details.

Many have inquired about what will be discussed at the seminar. So, in order to answer your questions and to get you prepared for what to expect, I've started a series of posts entitled "40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career."

To start at the beginning, click here. And, welcome to the blog. Now, on to today’s post . . .

How to Make “Good Money” as a Freelance Writer

Do you want to be broke when your business "grows up?" In yesterday’s post, we discussed how to go about choosing a target market -- a lucrative one that won't leave you broke. In my opinion, the most important part of that post was the following:

Target lucrative markets: Not every interest you have will make a viable niche market. This may be because they are not willing to pay for your services, don't need your services and/or there aren't enough of their type to market to.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT POINT! With your list in hand, choose markets where: a) your services are needed on a continual basis; b) your asking price can be met with relative ease; and c) there are sufficient numbers to market to.

Before we delve into this further, there’s one thing I want to share with you from my own personal experience. That is, you will never make “good money” as a freelance writer until you let go of the starving writer’s mindset.

Working "Beneath" You: A Personal Lesson

To expound upon this, when I first started out -- and years into my career, I didn’t consciously have this thought. I don’t think most freelance writers do. But, we have been so conditioned by society to think of freelance writing as a “low-paying, scratch-out-a-living existence” that we price our services too low, or do too much for too little.

It took me years – and I do mean years – to realize this. Once I realized my worth, I stopped taking on projects that I felt didn’t pay me enough.

If you continually work beneath your worth – no matter what your profession – you will eventually become disgruntled and unhappy. While you make think that it’s “the project at hand,” or “the client that drives you nuts,” this really is not what it is.

POST CONTINUED BELOW

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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.

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It is the fact that you feel that your true worth is not being recognized. And, while money is not everything, if this is how you choose to make your living – then getting paid your market worth is not only essential to paying your bills and taking care of your family, it’s essential to your sense of self-worth as a professional.

While I will occasionally take on a project that I know I should be getting paid more for, it’s infrequently enough that it doesn’t eat away at my soul.

My overall point here is to get you in the right frame of mind from the beginning. If you’re just starting out, you may have to do some low-cost and/or spec projects to get some experience, references, etc. But, stop doing this very early on. Don’t make a habit out of it because, trust me, after a while, it will wear on you.

Now, on to the meat of today’s topic – how to make a “good living” as a freelance writer.

FYI, the reason good living is in quotation marks is because this means something different to every person. Only you know what works for you. While $30K may be fine for one freelancer, another one may need $55K for it to be considered a good living.

As mentioned above, the most important thing to do when deciding how much you need to make is to choose markets where: a) your services are needed on a continual basis; b) your asking price can be met with relative ease; and c) there are sufficient numbers to market to.

All three of these things must be in place. This is why I like to work with business owners. They know the value of a service, there’s no bargaining back and forth and, as is evidenced by your local Yellow Pages, there are plenty of them to market to.

7 Standard Rules for Getting the Rate You Want

1) No bargaining: Would you go into The Gap and ask them, “Would you take $45 for these jeans instead of $60?” No, you wouldn’t because they’d probably look at you like you were crazy.

So, why be so quick to haggle with potential clients? You’re not just a “freelance writer.” You are a business, just like The Gap. They have overhead like salaries, marketing, rent, etc. to pay for. Well, so do you.

And, you don’t have to say this to clients – it’s all in how you present yourself and your business. Present a professional image, and the majority of clients won’t even dream of asking you to cut your rate.

NOTE: Now, I do believe in giving discounts – eg, for first-time projects, for bulk projects, for continuing projects, etc. This is akin to sales and/or promotional campaigns in a retail store.

2) Target a “Savvy, No Nonsense” Market: And, what I mean by this is, a market that is accustomed to dealing with businesses, not “just a freelancer.”

This is why I like targeting businesses. When they contract a service, they already know what their budget is and if they can afford you. They will usually give you a yes or no very quickly – and won’t string you along with “maybes, if you cut your rate, when the next client pays, etc.”

They will deal with you as a business because they recognize the value you bring to their business. This brings me to my third point . . .

3) Quantifiable Results: Offer quantifiable results to clients.

Remember the financial example I used in Post #2, using hard numbers to illustrate a point. Nothing sells like results a client can see in black and white.

While you can’t guarantee results, you can give them realistic examples of how your services can add to their bottom line – which is really all most want.

4) Examples: If you have “before and after” copy of a website you’ve redone, or an example of a brochure you created from scratch, or results achieved from a case study you did for a previous client – share this.

Don’t have any of this? Then, offer to do a sample job – eg, edit a few pages from their website, create a sample, one-page newsletter, etc.

5) Public Relations Magic: Most freelancers don’t do this, but it can work better than doing projects for free. What is it?

Get media attention for your business. This can range from a profile by a local newspaper, to being quoted for a story that runs in a national magazine.

Two or three pieces of PR can go a long way toward establishing credibility. Many times, this will be all you need to get your foot in the door. Place whatever press you get in a “Media” or “About Us” section on your website.

In tomorrow's post, we’ll talk about how to get some PR for your business – quickly!

6) Image: Another area many freelancers fall short in is presentation, as in company presentation.

The obvious things are a professional-looking web presence (and yes, you must have a web presence as a freelancer); brochures and marketing material.

An area that is hardly ever addressed is your tone when speaking with potential clients. And I don’t mean the sound of your voice. I mean the confidence that comes from, “You’ve reached a well-run, organized, professional business.”

I answer the phone as if I have 500 employees. And, like many large companies, I have a series of questions I go through that conveys that you’ve reached a professional business, eg:

i) What is the name of your company?

ii) With whom am I speaking

iii) How did you hear about “us” (Inkwell Editorial)

iv) May I have a phone number/email for additional follow up if necessary?

Now, you may feel uncomfortable asking all of this upfront – and sometimes clients won’t give you all the info (usually, you can at least get a name and company name).

But, this is less important than the impression you will have made. Even if they don’t use you, they will recall that you sounded like a real business, not just a freelancer.

Hence, they won’t be looking to pay you less than.

NOTE: Try to get in the habit of asking these questions because it helps you to build your database. No matter how brief the contact you had with a client – if they called you, then they are in need of the type of services you offer.

So, by getting this information, you can market to them on a consistent basis – and one day get their business – which leads me to my last point . . .

7) “Big Company” Followup: Not as in a thank you note with the project you turned in, but as in a company newsletter, a well-designed survey, custom thank you cards (eg, with your business name embossed on them).

Another lesson among the many that I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that, as small business owners, most of us take the “low-hanging fruit lessons” from big business. So, for example, we know to follow up. But, we don’t do it in a professional, “big company-like” manner.

We know to answer the phone without screaming babies in the background, but we don’t ask basic questions that signal “you’ve reached a business that knows what it’s doing.”

These are subtle signs that make all the difference in how you will be perceived. And, perception in business – and in life – is everything.

It leads directly to how much value clients will place on your services – hence, how much they will pay you for them.

TOMORROW’S POST: In Post #5 tomorrow, we’ll jump directly into how to get some quick PR for your business.

What do you think? If you have questions, comments or observations about this post, send them in. Email them to info [at] InkwellEditorial.com.

Sincerely,
Yuwanda (who is this person?)

**************************************************

Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue of Inkwell's freelance writing newsletter? The 8/15 issue featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.

NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!
************************************************

Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
**************************************************

Like what you read here? Find the content useful and informative? Make us a Technorati Favorite. Simply click the Technorati icon at the top right-hand corner of the page.

Photo Credit: Photo courtesty of www.prosperity4kids.com.

Post #3: 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

PUBLISHER NOTE: If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know about the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. Details.

Many have inquired about what will be discussed at the seminar. So, in order to answer your questions and to get you prepared for what to expect, I've started a series of posts entitled "40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career."

To start at the beginning, click here. And, welcome to the blog. Now, on to today’s post . . *********
In yesterday’s post, we discussed how to design effective marketing material, keeping your target market’s psychographics in mind. But, you may be thinking, “I don’t have a target market. So, how do I know what to keep in mind?”

Glad you asked! Today, we’ll turn our attention to figuring out how to target a market – a lucrative one.

NOTE: The following is excerpted from Part V of the e-course, Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less – Guaranteed!

TARGETING A NICHE: Why Targeting a Niche is Important to the Success of Your Freelance Career

I think this is important to every freelancer’s success, but particularly to new freelancers, because it allows you to focus: your attention, your message, your marketing and your time.

Like a martial artists who perform what to most are unimaginable feats, the power of focus harnesses all of your energy and can break down/go through almost any barrier in your way.

The Power of Focus: Focusing Your Attention

It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you are first starting your freelance career because it’s easy to flit from one ad to the next, trying your hand at this, that and the other. And, while this can be great over time, RIGHT NOW you are trying to lay a foundation for a business. This takes focus.

Everything that you do in the beginning of your freelance writing career is critical. So, choose a niche and build a reputation in that sector first. THEN, later on, you can branch out if you want to.

The Power of Focus: Focusing Your Message

Talking to one group allows you to hone your message. You get to know their wants, needs, problems and desires (their psychographic makeup) much more intimately than if you served a broad sector. The more you know your target market, the better you can serve them. AND, the more money you make.

The Power of Focus: Focusing Your Time

In business, time is money. And, when what you make is directly related to what you produce, time is money in the bank.

Targeting a niche allows you to quickly gain credentials, produce samples, do research, find sources, etc. Eg, if you can produce a newsletter in two hours because you know the industry like the back of your hand, that means more hours for other projects.

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.
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If a new realtor hires me to do her newsletter (I work with a lot of realtors and mortgage brokers), I can produce ideas, samples, testimonials, etc., from a myriad of other projects I’ve worked on. This cuts down on research, brainstorming sessions and set-up time – time that can be put to better INCOME-PRODUCING use.

If nothing else sticks, remember this about niche marketing as a freelance writer: There are millions of them. Why not separate yourself from the pack by becoming a specialist (a niche writer)?

The more you specialize, the less competition you have. The less competition you have, the more valuable you become (the less replaceable you are). And, the more valuable you are, the less clients are likely to squabble about price because, after all, you’re a specialist, right?

A really insightful article which highlights several different professionals across a range of disciplines lays out how effective niche marketing can be.

The article, "Niche Marketing Strategies Can Contribute to Your Success” states:

Niching yourself makes sense--no matter which niches you choose . . . While breaking into a niche may be difficult, once you are established as the go-to expert for that particular group, you can rely on word of mouth supplemented by traditional but targeted marketing activities such as ads, client/prospect dinners, participation at key charitable events, focused networking, and PR tactics.

The full article can be found here.

Okay, you’ve convinced me that I need to “niche it,” but, how do I go about it? I’m glad you asked. It's actually relatively easy and can be done in three easy steps.

NOTE: The following is excerpted from the article, How to Develop a Niche with NO Experience & Make it Profitable for Years to Come. Reprinted with permission. ©2000-2050, Yuwanda Black.

1. Make a list of your experiences, likes, hobbies, etc. Why? Because the first step in developing a niche is to go with your strengths. Even if you have no professional experience in an area, if you like it, chances are you will work to become proficient in it.

For example, in my professional life, I've been a real estate agent, a loan officer, a credit counselor, a recruiter and a legal copy editor (among a few other things -- but we'll just stop here). Remember, this is just professionally.

My hobbies are running, real estate investing, reading historical romances, sewing, interior decorating and designing ethnic pottery, among a barrage of other things (I have a very active mind and a hint of ADD!).

Now that you have this list, what do you do with it?

2. Target lucrative markets: Not every interest you have will make a viable niche market. This may be because they are not willing to pay for your services, don't need your services and/or there aren't enough of their type to market to.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT POINT! With your list in hand, choose markets where: a) your services are needed on a continual basis; b) your asking price can be met with relative ease; and c) there are sufficient numbers to market to.

Also, you might want to consider competition; as in, how much/little do you have? While there is always room for one more company to offer a product/service, my thought process is why fish in a crowded pond.

Go after a market that not many others are targeting. Sometimes this market will reveal itself in your list of professional experiences and/or hobbies. Other times, you may have to work harder to find it. Just make sure that however you choose your market, you keep in mind the points mentioned above.

Now that you know who you want to market to, how do you get those all important first few jobs which lead to samples, references, etc.? Simple.

3. Do low-cost/no-cost work: Always try to get paid for any work you do. You can target local charities; do work for friends with businesses; contact start-up companies, etc. Your mission starting out is to get those first 4 or 5 jobs under your belt.

If you're not having any luck landing paid work, try this: target a company and do the work without asking them (eg, rewrite their badly worded brochure you received in the mail; rework their ineffective web copy; design their logo; etc.).

Then, contact them with their original and your NEW, improved version. Not many businesses will turn down improved work they don't have to pay for. Just like that, a legitimate credit!

Even if a company refuses, you can still use it in your portfolio. Just change the name of the company to something that obviously reflects that it's a fictitious company with the caveat that the name has been changed, but the revisions made were to original copy.

Now, you're on your way!
#########

Following is a sample list to get your juices flowing. I’ve filled it in with some of my hobbies, jobs and interests. This gives you an idea of how/where to start. It could take a few weeks for you to come up with a complete list, so keep it handy and add to it as things strike you.

TIP: Get specific in each category. Eg, instead of listing “ethic crafts,” list sewing ethnic quilts, painting ethnic masks, weaving ethnic baskets, etc.

Finding Your Niche: An Example List

Hobbies: Here you will list all hobbies you have/used to have – go back for as long as you can remember. Just write, don’t edit at this point.

My list goes something like this under this category: Running, Ethnic Crafts (eg, sewing ethnic quilts), Landscaping (mulching, cutting grass, planting flower beds, etc.).

Professional Jobs: Here you will list all jobs you’ve had since you started working (part-time, full-time, temp, volunteering jobs, etc.)

My list goes something like this under this category: Waitress; Recruiter (editorial, publishing, media, communications); Loan Officer; Real Estate Agent; Online Retail Business Owner

Interests: Have interests that you’ve never turned into hobbies? Eg, I’ve always wanted to learn about X? Write all of these down.

My list looks something like this under this category: Learning Italian, Mountain Climbing, Extreme Sports Adventurer (eg, Triathlon); Motorcycle Riding; Forensic Psychology

List-making tip: Make a chronological list, eg, with your jobs. List the first job you had on up to the current position you hold. Don't leave anything out -- no matter how much you hated it or how brief you had it/it held your interest.

This list is as much about fleshing out your interests as it is about getting together a cohesive starting point from which to cull your niche.

Once you get your list together, pare it down using the information in Step 2 in the article above. Specifically, pare it down, choosing markets where: a) your services are needed on a continual basis; b) your asking price can be met with relative ease; and c) there are sufficient numbers to market to.

If you keep the above in mind, you will be well on your way to creating a profitable niche for which to market.

TOMORROW'S POST: In Post #4 tomorrow, we will discuss how to let go of the starving writer’s mindset. We’ll discuss how to go about pricing your services to earn a decent wage – from day one!

What do you think of this post/ #40 Days" series"? If you have questions, comments or observations, send them in. Email them to info [at] InkwellEditorial.com.

Editorially yours,
Yuwanda (who is this person?)
**************************************************
Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue of Inkwell Editorial's freelance writing newsletter? The 8/15 issue featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.

NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!
*************************************************
Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
**************************************************
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POST #2: 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

PUBLISHER NOTE: If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know about the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. Details.

Many have inquired about what will be discussed at the seminar. So, in order to answer your questions and to get you prepared for what to expect, I've started a series of posts entitled "40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career."

To start at the beginning, click here. And, welcome to the blog. Now, on to today’s post . . .

How to Create a Marketing Piece that Sells – a Lot!

In Friday’s post, we discussed psychographics, which to refresh, is basically a psychological profile of the “. . . needs, benefits, values and attitudes, as well as insights about purchasing behavior . . . “ of your target market.

The primary purpose of knowing this information is NOT to sell more to potential clients, but to better explain the benefits of your services so that potential clients will be much more likely to purchase.

At this point, you may be scratching your head going, “What’s the difference?”

Why You Should Never Sell to Clients

As I stated in Post #1 of this series, you never want to sell to clients. You want to share your services with them in a manner that highlights the benefits to them.

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.
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Now, you may be thinking, “You’re splitting hairs. There’s no difference.” But, I beg to differ. Understanding this difference is crucial to forming a “sales message,” which from now on will be referred to as a benefit statement.

This is so important that I’m going to repeat it again: You never want to sell clients; you want to share your services with them in a manner that highlights the benefits to them.

The reason grasping this concept is so critical is that when you approach your marketing from the standpoint of how it benefits potential clients, you are really able to hone in on what is important to them.

Furthermore, you get a reality check of where you are in being able to offer it to them. The reason so many get such dismal results from their marketing efforts is that they’re so focused on what they want clients to purchase that they forget to ask, “Is this something they need, want, will benefit from?”

Remember in the last post when I talked about the guy trying to sell me a booth at a job fair? This is what I mean. He obviously failed to take my needs as a potential client into effect because he was so focused on what he wanted to sell me.

When you flip the script and approach it from the client’s perspective, deficiencies in your services will be easy to spot – and correct.

So, now that you have a better understanding about the mindset needed to form an appropriate benefits statement, how do you go about doing it?

How to Sell More with Less Effort

As with most things we think are beyond our reach, 90% of winning is mental. When I sit down to write a marketing message, I have a three-step process, keeping my target market’s psychographics in mind:

1) Timing: One of the first things I keep in mind is the ebb and flow of my target market’s business. I deal with a lot of small business owners (micro businesses). They usually have less than 10 employees.

So, for example, if I’m targeting accountants. I may do a mailer to them in late January/early February offering to put together a benefits brochure to send to prospects and/or post on their website.

2) Explain, explain, explain: I happen to know that many micro business owners don’t think too far in advance (see how psychographics come into play?).

So, when I contact them, I explain why how they can “increase their business by 10, 15 or 20%” by sending out a brochure a month or two before tax season starts. Other benefits I may list to encourage them to use my services:

a) Your competition is not advertising (tell them that most accountants place a Yellow Page ad and that’s it)

b) Get life-long clients (eg, prospects are much more likely to use you over and over again once they use you the first time)

c) Financial example: I like to use hard numbers to illustrate a point. Eg, if you obtained 5 new clients from a 500 piece mailing, and they were your clients for the next 10 years. Even if they used you for the bare minimum (to file their annual income tax return), at $400/tax return, that’s $2,000/year to your bottom line.

Not enough? Then consider this, one client will usually refer 3-5 people over a year’s time. So, 5 new clients will be good for 15-25 referrals over a year’s time. If those new referrals used you for the bare minimum, at $400/tax return that’s between $6,000-$10,000/year, PLUS the original $2,000 from the original 5 clients.

Addressing Cost: Some experts disagree on whether or not to address cost, but as my target market is micro business owners, I almost always do. Taking the above example, I may add a benefits statement like:

Bottom line: From one mailing, you could easily garner up to $12,000 for just a few hundred dollars – and these are for just the bare minimum of services. Inevitably, depending on your service offerings, clients will use you for more than one thing.

Ebook on Freelance Writing: I believe in this concept of explaining to prospects the benefits of using my services that I created an ebook as a giveaway to potential clients, entitled, 7 Ways a Freelance Writer Can Expand Your Profits -- No Matter What Your Business Is. Read about it here.

3) Research: I always do some precursory research on the industry I’m targeting. Again, knowing what makes clients tick will make it so much easier to carve out an effective benefits statement.

This is one of the reasons I’m a firm believer in niche marketing. Becoming an expert in one area will allow you to become intimate with the processes, limitations, wants, needs, desires, etc.
This way, when you sit down to write a marketing piece, you can “hit’em where it hurts,” so to speak; push their hot buttons – which moves them to buy.

For example, with realtors, I know that it’s slow around the holidays. Hence, many are scrambling for sales. So, I know that many of them would be receptive to a newsletter that they can send to clients to start “getting in their clients’ faces” so that when the season picks up again in March/April, they’ll be the first one their clients think of.

Again, you have to explain, explain, explain to them why they want to start marketing in December/January to get their phones ringing in March/April. But, smart business owners will realize this.

How a Simple Explanation Can Get Your More Clients

Depending on your target market, you will have to explain to potential clients quite a bit how using your services will benefit them. In my years as an entrepreneur, I’ve found that many business owners don’t realize how using a certain service will benefit them. This is particularly true of small business owners.

All they know is that they want to increase sales – but, they usually have no idea of how to go about it. Explaining things like drip campaigns (this will be a future topic we’ll discuss, so do a web search for now if you’re not familiar with it), customer retention, cost per acquisition, etc. will be things you will have to make them aware of – in layman’s language of course.

Once they get it, however, you will usually have a customer for life!

I hope you see how knowing even basic psychographics can greatly improve your marketing efforts. In the accountant example used above, just knowing that most micro business owners don’t think too far ahead when marketing opened the door.

It allowed us to capitalize on that point and lay out an entire campaign, easily illustrating how using your service could ostensibly add thousands of dollars to their bottom line – for years to come.

If you didn’t take this into account and just sent out the normal, “I can make the content on your site so much better,” marketing message, you’d be missing the whole point of advertising – uh, excuse me, “Sharing your services.”

Get it? Good! Now, what’s up tomorrow . . .

TOMORROW'S POST: In Post #3 tomorrow, we will discuss how to go about choosing a target market now that you know how to formulate an effective marketing message.

What do you think? If you have questions, comments or observations about this post, send them in. Email them to info [at] InkwellEditorial.com.

Sincerely,
Yuwanda (who is this person?)
**************************************************
Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue of Inkwell's freelance writing newsletter? The 8/15 issue featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.

NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!
************************************************
Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
**************************************************
Like what you read here? Find the content useful and informative? Make us a Technorati Favorite. Simply click the Technorati icon at the top right-hand corner of the page.

Post #1: 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

Play Mind Games to Increase Sales

PUBLISHER NOTE: This is the first post in what will be a 40-post series entitled, 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career. This series will shed light into what will be discussed in the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. Seminar details.

Get Inside Your Clients’ Head – Before You Meet Them

As the title of this post suggests, learning how your customers think and behave will make “selling” to them so much easier.

The reason selling is in quotation marks is because I don’t believe in selling and I hate to be sold. A seller’s goal is to get you to buy – because it benefits them.

I believe in “sharing my services” with prospects to benefit them. My marketing credo is, ”If you help people get what they want, you will automatically get what you want.” Sound familiar? I stole this credo from some famous person, whose name escapes me right now. I think it was Zig Ziegler. So, how do you go about this?

How to Get Clients to Say “Yes” to Your Freelance Services – a Lot!

Getting a yes from a client is less about your skill as a writer (editor, photographer, illustrator, etc.) and more about what motivates them to want to use your services, ie, knowing their company psychographics.

As defined in yesterday’s post, psychographics identify personality characteristics and attitudes that affect a person's lifestyle and purchasing behaviour.

NOTE: In addition to people, which is what most think of when they think of psychographics, companies have psychographics as well.

So, how can understanding your target market’s psychographics help you make more money as a freelancer? As outlined so well on Claritas.com:

Overall, psychographics information includes needs, benefits, values and attitudes, as well as insights about purchasing behavior and process. . . . Understanding the psychographics of your target market can be very revealing. Information about [your target market’s] likes and dislikes goes a long way in making determinations about whether or not they are likely to purchase your product or service. With information about their preferences and lifestyles, you can successfully target the segments most interested in your product/service and effectively reach them with a message that speaks directly to them.

To outline how this works, let me cite a personal example.

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.
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I was considering placing an ad with a company to fill a job opening I had. I contacted them and spoke with the sales rep, explaining my needs (ie, I had one job to fill) and asking what the price for that would be.

After taking my information and answering my question, he went on to try to sell me on buying a booth at an upcoming job fair they had. I wasn’t interested – and if he’d listened to the makeup of my company as I’d explained it to him, he would have realized that I had no need to buy a booth at a job fair.

FYI, usually, when you speak with the sales department of a company, they get the lowdown on your company – eg, how many employees, what you do, average amount of advertising you do per year, how often you have the need for their type of product/service, etc. In essence, they get your company’s psychographics.

After reading over the media kit the rep sent me, I found a package they offered which fit my needs perfectly, which led me to wonder why the rep didn’t steer me towards this product, instead of trying to sell me on the job fair.

The lesson here is quite simple: Offer clients what’s best for them, not what you want to sell them. Many times I’ve talked clients out of purchasing one service, which was more expensive, to purchasing another, which was less expensive.

My market niche is small business owners, so I know that most of them work on a limited budget. And, even if they didn’t, who doesn’t want to save money? Some of my target market’s psychographics:

Size: 1-10 people

Time in business: 3-7 years

Location: Home-based and/or rent small office space.

Revenue: Up to $1,000,000

Reasons they contract my services: It saves them time; they don’t have the skill set and/or desire to produce their own marketing material; they either can’t afford or don’t want to hire in-house personnel to do the work; and/or they are upgrading their image.

In a future post when we discuss targeting a niche market, I’ll tell you how to go about finding out this type of information on clients – without ever talking to them. [future post topic]

Knowing this information helps me tailor my messages to past and future clients – hit “hot buttons” if you will that moves them to purchase.

When I first started freelancing, I had no idea what went into an effective marketing campaign. Oh, I knew how to market – or at least how to send out marketing materials. But, I was often frustrated from the lack of response I received.

Marketing Fact: If you’re not taking things like psychographics into account when you market, you’re really just mailing materials – you’re not marketing.

How I Dramatically Increased My Freelance Income: A Personal Story

When my income became stagnant over a few years – no matter how hard I “marketed” – I started to investigate what I was doing wrong. I wasn’t particularly looking for fancy marketing techniques – just effective ones.

Where before I had passed over info like demographics, psychographics, segmentation and niche marketing, I had to read it when it kept popping up in all the research I was doing.

In my opinion, this is the main reason most freelancers – and small business owners, for that matter – fail. They don’t want to do the “dirty work” of learning how to market. Many think (and I was definitely in that category), if I just get the word out about my business, then I’ll get clients.

And, you will. But, to make a living – a good one – and take your freelancing to the next level, you’re going to have to get beyond the basics and understand how to effectively market. It’s all about the results you see in your bottom line at the end of the year.

One Change Opens the Floodgates to Thousands of Extra Dollars

The reason successful businesses increase their revenues year after year is that they do this type of marketing on a major scale. Many have whole departments who do this stuff. Did you know that there’s a writer sitting somewhere who is being paid thousands of dollars to compose consumer surveys of 5, 10 or 12 questions?

While they may annoy you when you get them in your inbox or receive them in the mail, enough people answer them to allow companies to fine tune their product offerings, change operational procedures, add complementary product lines, etc.

For a company like WalMart, even seeing a one percentage point in increased sales on a certain product line means millions of dollars in sales. For example, what if they learned from one consumer survey that customers buy 1% more toothpaste if it’s placed on a higher shelf? Maybe the store is in an area with a lot of senior citizens who can’t bend easily.

If one store is selling a million dollars worth of toothpaste a year and they move it to a higher shelf and sell 1% more, that’s $10,000/more profit per year – just for moving it a few shelves up. Now, if they implemented this procedure in all of their stores, that would add $65,000,000 to their bottom line (WalMart has almost 6,500 stores worldwide).

Now, this is a very simplistic example. But, I wanted to illustrate how things like psychographics and demographics can open the floodgates to thousands of extra dollars in sales.

What do you think? If you have questions, comments or observations about this post, send them in. Email them to info [at] InkwellEditorial.com.

Next Post: In Post #2 of this series on Monday, we will build on this concept of using psychographics to increase sales. We’ll talk specifically about how to write a marketing piece that sells – keeping the psychographics of the audience you’re talking to in mind.

Enjoy the weekend,
Yuwanda
**************************************************
Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue of Inkwell's freelance writing newsletter? The 8/15 issue featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!
************************************************
Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
**************************************************

Like what you read here? Find the content useful and informative? Make us a Technorati Favorite. Simply click the Technorati icon at the top right-hand corner of the page.

40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

As most readers of this blog are aware, Inkwell Editorial will put on a freelance writing seminar in October in Atlanta. Details.

Freelance writing (annual reports, web content, speeches, etc.) can be very lucrative. And, anyone can be successful at it -- with the right information.

Many have inquired about what will be discussed at the seminar. So, in order to answer your questions, and to get you prepared for what to expect, I'm starting a series of posts here entitled "40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career."

How to Start -- and Maintain -- a Successful Freelance Career

Every post will discuss some aspect of how to go about starting -- and maintaining -- a successful freelance career. While the main focus will be on freelance writing, the insight gained can be applied to any type of creative freelancing, eg, editing, illustrating, web design, proofreading, etc.

Mind Games: Getting inside the mind of your clients

The first post will discuss the psychographics of clients. What are psychographics?

As defined on Wikipedia, it's "Psychographics identify personality characteristics and attitudes that affect a person's lifestyle and purchasing behaviour."

Most don't even begin to think of this when they start out. But, I'm telling you from personal experience, when you start to tap into this, "selling" clients on your services will be 90% easier.

What Do You Want to Know about Freelancing?

This will be an interactive series, so if you have questions, comments or observations, send them in. Email them to info [at] InkwellEditorial.com.

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.
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Freelance tip of the day: Record your ideas as they come to you. A great marketing idea occurred to me today as I was driving. Before I could get home to write it down, it slipped my mind.

I carry a notepad with me at all times, but as I was driving and my bag was out of reach, I couldn't write it down. I was so frustrated as I wracked my brain trying to remember what it was. Usually, my ideas surface after a few days when I lose them, but losing them is not something I commonly leave to chance.

Lesson for me: Buy replacement batteries for my little hand-held recorder. They died a few months ago and I have yet to buy new ones. Today was the first time that it really bit me in the patootie! Rats!

Today, forgetfully yours,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
http://inkwelleditorial.com/
http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/
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Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue of Inkwell's freelance writing newsletter? The 8/15 issue featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.

NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!
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Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
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People Won't Buy What They Don't Understand: How to Sell Your Freelance Services

I received an email a few months ago from someone asking me to write about their "product/service" (I still don't know which, which is explained below) on my blog.

I receive quite a few of these requests and, unless it's something I think readers of this blog will benefit from, I rarely do this.

Dumb & Dumber?

But, why am I telling you this? I brought it up because, for the life of me, I couldn't understand what the heck the guy was talking about. I read the email several times -- and still have it in my inbox. I kept it because the idea for this post came from it.

I thought, "How am I supposed to talk about something that I don't even understand?" I mean, I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm far from the dimmest also.

Clarity Equals Money

While this may seem like a simple concept, I can't tell you how many times I receive marketing materials that clearly mean something to the promoter, but leaves out some important detail that is not obvious to the end user. Simplicity sells.

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start -- with the right information.
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While you never want to talk down to your audience, you do want to clearly state the BENEFITS to the buyer. The reason I capitalize benefits is that where most marketers go wrong is that they get so caught up in explaining the features of their product, that they forget to highlight the benefits.

How to Sell Your Services as a Freelancer

This is why people buy -- because of the benefits your service will bring to them, NOT because you're a wonderful writer. Even a mediocre writer who clearly outlines the benefits a client will derive from his/her service will get clients.

Freelance writing is a career anyone can start -- you don't have to be super smart or super talented. Now, you can't be a nitwit -- it does take competence. But, if I had a nickel for every time someone assumed that they couldn't do it, I'd be very well off.

How to Get Clients Every Time You Advertise

These types of concepts -- as well as quite a few others -- will be discussed in the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. You will learn simple steps to follow with every marketing piece you send out. This way, every dime of your marketing dollars will be spent smartly every time you reach out to clients.

Simplistically yours,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
http://inkwelleditorial.com/
http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/
**************************************************
Upcoming Features in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter

September 12: Gordon Graham. We ring in the “editorial season” by interviewing Gordon Graham, aka “that white paper guy.” Gordon writes and edits white papers and case studies. He charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce a white paper from scratch.

Now, do you see why I had to interview him?! Most freelancers don’t even dream of making this type of money. I can’t wait for this interview.

Missed the latest issue? The 8/15 issue of Inkwell Editorial’s newsletter featured an interview with B2B freelance writer, Meryl K. Evans. Want to break into this very lucrative market? Meryl's interview sheds some detailed light on how. Sign up to receive your copy to read what Meryl had to say.

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.

NOTE: As editorial is cyclical and slow during the summer, in July and August, the newsletter will be published once. In September, we go back to our twice-monthly publishing schedule. Subscribe today so you don't miss anything!!
************************************************
Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
**************************************************
Like what you read here? Find the content useful and informative? Make us a Technorati Favorite. Simply click the Technorati icon at the top right-hand corner of the page.