Freelance Writing Commitment Contract: Get the Life & Career You Want

This article contains a freelance writing commitment contract. What is this? Before I explain, let me tell you what precipitated it.

I read an excellent article on MSN.com entitled 10 Steps to the Body You Want. As the title implies, the author, a doctor who counsels women trying to lose weight, outlines 10 steps to take to get the body you want.

As I read through the steps, I kept reflecting on the questions I receive almost daily from readers of this blog asking how to go about starting a freelance writing career.

The reason my mind kept wandering back to these readers is that the same advice the author dispensed in this article could have been given to practically every single reader who’ve asked me a question along the lines of, “How can I start freelancing fulltime?”

Read the full post, Get the Life & Career You Want: A Pledge to Change.

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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POST #7: 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 . . .

One Marketing Technique That Is Almost Always Successful

In Friday’s post, we discussed three free ways to find out information on your target market so that you could devise profitable marketing campaigns.

Today, we’re going to analyze a marketing technique that will almost always bring success. And, I use the qualifier “almost” because no one marketing method can guarantee success – and run quickly from anyone who tells you different.

So, what is it?

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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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Why Drip Marketing Should be Used by Every Freelancer

Drip marketing. What exactly is drip marketing? As defined so elegantly on NYReport.com:

The term “drip marketing” refers to a deliberate, planned and sequenced system of deploying marketing messages over a period of time. Drip marketing is the opposite of a “marketing blitz,” where marketing efforts are compressed within a short time frame. . . . the theory behind drip marketing is that the value of repetition — and a slow build — can be as powerful as a highly concentrated rush.”

Marketing Tip: Read the entire post on drip marketing at this link on NYReport.com. It will give you a concise, full understanding of what this marketing method is and why it’s so successful.

Some examples of drip marketing:

Newsletters sent out on a regular basis;

Postcards mailed out monthly;

Joke of the day/Marketing Message of the Day/Business Tip of the Day; and

This “40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career” series.

What do all of these have in common? They keep the name of the promoter constantly in front of customers so that when they think of the type of product/service the promoter is offering, that promoter will be “top of mind.”

And, that is the real goal of drip marketing. Drip marketing is perfect for freelancers because:
i) It’s Inexpensive: As you can see from the examples listed above, drip campaigns can be free and/or low-cost (eg, postcard marketing).

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I advocate using free methods, in conjunction with paid advertising, to increase sales.

But, if you don’t have any money and are just starting out, using free advertising methods exclusively is fine. In fact, you may want to start out using free marketing methods exclusively until you get a better handle on marketing.

ii) Builds Leads Database: Drip campaigns give you a constant source of fresh leads. While everyone who receives your material will not be ready to purchase at that moment, by staying “in their face,” so to speak, you can bet you will be one of the first ones they call when they are ready.

As I mentioned in the last post, most consumers don’t do extensive comparison shopping. They look at one or two service providers before they buy. How easy do you think it will be to get their business if you are one of the two?

Furthermore, as most freelancers are not adept at marketing, if you’ve been the one staying in touch via a newsletter, postcard campaign, copywriting tip of the day, etc., you have that much more of a chance of getting the business.

This brings me to my next point . . .

iii) Builds Your Credibility: While drip marketing will make clients think of you almost immediately when they need freelance writing services, there’s a big hurdle that has to be overcome before a sale can take place.

In my experience, four things have to happen before someone buys from you:

a) They have to have a need for your service: You can’t control this. If they contact you, obviously, they need your type of service.

b) They have to be able to afford you: You have some control over this by doing market research and determining what the going rate is. Price yourself accordingly (eg, competitively).

c) They have to know about you: You have complete control over this. If you use drip marketing on a consistent basis, they will know about you; and

d) They have to be comfortable that you can provide the product/service effectively: Luckily, you have complete control over this. This is perhaps the biggest hurdle to overcome. But, drip marketing takes care of this as well. How?

First, if you’ve been sending them postcards, newsletters and copywriting tips of the day, for example, right there, it says that you know something. Something powerful happens when you get in front of people on a regular basis. They start to associate you with what you are promoting.

So, if you’re sending them a copywriting tip of the day, for example, prospects will automatically assume that you know what you’re talking about. Back this up with some samples, testimonials, a professional-looking website and good customer service – and you’re practically a shoe-in.

Worried about producing samples and testimonials? Don’t be. In Post #5, we discussed PR & advertising, which can help you overcome this hurdle. Believe it or not, many times, you won’t even be asked for samples.

All clients want to know is that you can solve the problem at hand for them. And proof of this can be handled in many ways, as outlined in Post #5.

Do You Know Who You’re Talking To?

One last point: The article on NYReprot.com I linked to says: “Planning for drip marketing needs to be thoughtful, comprehensive and (if the target market is big or diverse enough) carefully segmented by customer category.”

In short, know your audience. Remember in the last post when I advised the mortgage brokers to break up their list of previous customers into purchasers and refinancers?

For purposes of this example, all the clients who used the mortgage broker had mortgages. BUT, those who used them to purchase a home have different needs, wants and desires from those who refinanced through this company.

And, while a campaign may be successful to a certain degree with a catch-all message like “Call us for all your mortgage needs,” it will be some much more effective if a message is sent just to refinancers that said, “Afraid you won’t be able to afford your house when your new ARM rate kicks in?” Call us to refinance today!”

This is type of marketing is called segmentation. Never forget who you’re talking to when you are putting together your marketing campaign. Even when you target a certain niche, there are niches within that niche that require different messages.

NEXT POST: In Post #8 tomorrow, we’ll discuss some ways to keep customers once you get them. Remember, 80% of your business will come from 20% of your clients. So, holding on to those clients is not only economical, it’s a must!

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

Until tomorrow!
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.
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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 #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.

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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
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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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