How One Freelancer Got Work w/No Marketing: Can It Happen to You?

A panicked freelancer recently contacted me with a problem most would love to have – before she even started to market, a potential client came aknocking! “Huh, how did that happen?” you might be wondering.

Let me explain.

Getting Clients w/ No Marketing – It Happens!

“Mary” is a long-time reader of my blog and recently purchased my ebook on SEO writing. She said she did everything I said and before she could even start to market for work, a query from an SEO company had come her way.

She wrote:

Dear Yuwanda:

First of all, please forgive my asking you this. But I have a wonderful "problem" that has occurred suddenly. . . Let me explain. I've been a long-time reader of your blog. I've been trying to start a free-lance biz and have faltered. I saw your blog postings about how you got SEO writing gigs almost lickety split, so I purchased your e-book and did everything you said. Here's my website: (she listed her website address).

The site's been up for a few weeks. But I have done nothing. (I work full-time and wanted to finish up a small free-lance newsletter gig I have via my copywriting site before I started marketing SEO writing. I never sent out ANY queries. No marketing. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Goose egg. However....today, I receive a query from an SEO firm.

Read the rest here.

Sincerely,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
http://inkwelleditorial.com/
http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/
http://seo-article-writer.com/
http://seo-articles-for-sale.com/
How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career Newsletter
P.S: I'm looking for freelance writing websites that accept ads. Know of any? Shoot the link to info *at* InkwellEditorial.com.
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Read Freelance Success Stories! There are freelancers who make very good livings at what they love. Inkwell Editorial's newsletter features these successful professionals who put to rest the phrase, "starving freelancer." Subscribe to read this , and all previous, issues.

Previous Issue: Spotlight on SEO Content Writing. How to make money at it, effective marketing tips and more. Long-time freelancer Sharon Hurley Hall shares her success tips on this and so much more. Sharon can be found online at http://getpaidtowriteonline.com/ and http://sharonhurleyhall.com/. Subscribe to read this and all previous issues.

Current Issue. Interview with author and freelance writer Misti Sandefur. Also, info on 4 quick, simple things I do on a daily basis to increase traffic to my website and blog (and you can too!); how I made $4,000 in 30-days from one client -- and a whole lot more!***********************************************
Copyright © 2008 InkwellEditorial.com: Freelance success stories, e-courses, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Get the e-report, How to Make at Least $100/Day as a Freelance Writer -- free! Log on to http://www.freelancewritingwebsite.com/ for details. Except where noted, no part of this site may be reproduced in any manner without the express, written consent of the publisher. Violators will be prosecuted.

Blog Marketing: How to Get Free PR for Your Blog

I recently “hired” a PR firm for my blog. Why is hired in quotation marks? Let me explain.

I turned a tip I got from reader Viqi French’s blog into a post on my blog. After I completed the marketing task written about here, I went back for seconds and completed another marketing task (#2) mentioned in this post on her blog.

This is when I got hit with a Eureka moment – why not “hire” this blog as my firm’s PR rep! After all, I was already implementing some of the suggestions listed here. If I checked back on say a weekly basis and just did even on thing suggested by this online marketing firm, in a year’s time, I could be deriving some real benefit from my PR efforts.

How to Hire a PR Firm for Your Blog/Website -- FREE

Following are some things to look for in an online marketing firm – whether it’s paid, or free.

Marketing Expertise: The first thing you want to look for is if the firm has the type expertise you’re looking for. Viqi French, the author behind FiercelyStrategic.blogspot.com is, according to her online bio, “… a Chicago-based publicist and writer who operates a marketing and publishing boutique, Pet Leopard Communications.”

Industry Expertise: Over and beyond overall marketing and PR expertise, any firm you hire should have expertise particular to your niche.

I like Viqi’s blog because she understands the industry I work in – e-publishing. So, she knows about traditional offline methods (eg, brochures and press kits) in addition to online methods like article marketing and ebook publishing (she’s authored her own ebook).

The fact that she’s authored her own book means that the advice she dispenses comes from firsthand experience – which I know from publishing my blog/website is the best kind of advice.

Detailed Advice: Some blogs are written as snippets. There’s no real meat; that’s saved for paid membership clubs or some kind of fee. And, let me rush to say, this is fine.

If you’re going to “hire” a blog to get some PR help from though, it needs to be one that is detailed. As you’re going to be doing the actual work, you’re going to need some kind of depth to the posts.

Check out my revamped, completed Squidoo Lens here. I had set it up a few months ago, but never published it. Upon reading this post on Viqi’s blog, I went back and completed it.

NOTE: Many of the tips you're going to run across you may already be familiar with. However, like hiring a personal trainer, you may know what to do, but when you "hire" someone to tell you what to do, you feel more obligated and dedicated. And, this is what most need to keep them on track with their marketing efforts.

Today’s a holiday; ostensibly you have some time. So, log on and see what PR you can get done to further your online marketing efforts! See this post to get started.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day everybody.

Sincerely,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
http://inkwelleditorial.com/
http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/
http://seo-article-writer.com/
http://seo-articles-for-sale.com/
http://money-making-videos.blogspot.com/
How to Start a Successful Freelance Career Newsletter
P.S.: Read about my $250/day as a freelance writer -- with less than two weeks of marketing!
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Read Freelance Success Stories! There are freelancers who make very good livings at what they love. Inkwell Editorial's newsletter features these successful professionals who put to rest the phrase, "starving freelancer." Subscribe to read this , and all previous, issues.

Previous Issue: How Much do Freelance Web Writers Really Make? This issue features a roundup of freelance writer income from around the web. Features salaries from a few hundred a month, to a website that earns over $30,000/month -- and the site owner doesn't even sell anything! Subscribe to read this , and all previous, issues.

Current Issue. Spotlight on SEO Content Writing: How to make money at it, effective marketing tips and more. Long-time freelancer Sharon Hurley Hall shares her success tips on this and so much more. Sharon can be found online at http://getpaidtowriteonline.com/ and http://sharonhurleyhall.com/. Subscribe to read this , and all previous, issues.
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Copyright © 2008 InkwellEditorial.com: Freelance success stories, e-courses, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Get the e-report, How to Make $100/Day as a Freelance Writer -- free! Log on to http://www.freelancewritingwebsite.com/ for details. Except where noted, no part of this site may be reproduced in any manner without the express, written consent of the publisher. Violators will be prosecuted.

When You SHOULDN'T Read Other Blogs

To promote your website and/or blog, you need to share. Think social media -- eg, StumbledUpon, Digg, Delicious, etc. Almost every expert touts that one of the best ways to build your website/blog traffic is to read and comment on the sites/blogs of others.

And I agree with this, except in the following instance.

When You SHOULDN'T Read Other Blogs

When you sit down to write for your blog/website: Many would advise that this is the exact time to read what others are writing about and/or what's "hot" on the web. I disagree. Why?

In some cases, it can backfire.

Case in point: You sit down to write a blog post but before you do, you visit some other blogs to get some ideas, do some background reading, etc. Then, you run across a similar post to the one you were going to write. It's written with much more detail and much better than you ever could have written it.

The wind is taken right out of your sails.

Blog Marketing: Why Reading Other People's Blog Can Kill Your Marketing Spirit

While you may still write your post, it's not nearly with the same enthusiasm, depth and passion you would have had you not read the other blog first.

This has happened to me on many occasions, and you know what I realized? There will always be others who are more knowledgeable, with more experience and write more eloquently than I do. While their posts may be "better," a gem hidden in how you said something may resonate with a reader.

It all comes down to believing in what you write, writing from personal experience and having a genuine need to want to share that information to help someone else.

For this, you don't need to read someone else's blog.

I do a lot of online reading -- especially as it relates to how to make money online -- passively. But, I rarely, if ever, visit another blog when I sit down to write for my blogs. I don't want to be encouraged, discouraged and/or overshadowed by someone else's ideas. I want my experience, my passion and my ideas to shine through to the reader.
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Watch money-making videos online.
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That means getting my thoughts down first.

If you're serious about making money online, you're going to have to find something you're passionate about because there are a lot of "unpaid" hours you're going to have to put in before the money starts to flow.

Rarely will you be sustained long term by the ideas and thoughts of others. Most of the content you produce to drive traffic to your blog/website is going to have to come from your insight, your experiences, your suceesses and failures.

So, while reading other blogs is definitely good to keep pace with the industry, don't get in the habit of "relying" on them for your ideas, your insight.

Again, that can only come from you.

Happy writing!
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
http://inkwelleditorial.com
http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com
http://seo-article-writer.com
http://seo-articles-for-sale.com
http://money-making-videos.blogspot.com
How to Start a Successful Freelance Career Newsletter
P.S.: Want to start making $50-$200/day as a freelance writer? Visit FreelanceWritingWebsite.com.
**************************************************
Read Freelance Success Stories! There are freelancers who make very good livings at what they love. Inkwell Editorial's newsletter features these successful professionals who put to rest the phrase, "starving freelancer." Subscribe to read all previous issues.

Current Issue: How Much do Freelance Web Writers Really Make? This issue features a roundup of freelance writer income from around the web. Features salaries from a few hundred a month, to a website that earns over $30,000/month -- and the site owner doesn't even sell anything! Subscribe to read this inspiring issue.

Previous Issue. Ghostwriting: Want to know what type of work is out there in this genre? How much it pays? Where to find it? How to go about getting it? Ghostwriter Amanda Evans gives us the skinny on this freelance writing niche.
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Copyright © 2007 InkwellEditorial.com: Freelance success stories, e-courses, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Get the e-report, How to Make $100/Day as a Freelance Writer -- free! Log on to http://www.freelancewritingwebsite.com/ for details. Except where noted, no part of this site may be reproduced in any manner without the express, written consent of the publisher. Violators will be prosecuted.