In the world of freelance writing, you are your own marketing manager, content editor, and content producer. Although you may be wearing many hats, , one of your most important hats will be your marketing strategy.
Regardless of where you are in the freelance writing career process, the most important tool you will have as a writer will always be a sold marketing strategy. So how do you go about developing a solid marketing strategy? The following tips will help you reach more clients and increase your marketing potential.
- Identify your target market.
The important way to get clients is not by expanding yourself out, it is more about focusing in on your target niche. Your target niche is going to be based on your particular skills. For example, are you a fiction writer that has a great skill in character development? When reaching out to potential clients, make sure that they know that! Provide samples of the ways in which you develop your characters so that your potential clients will have a taste of what they will receive from you. Sample work helps to highlight your skills as well as serve as a marketing tool for other potential clients.
- Develop your marketing strategy
Okay, so now you have identified your potential clients. Now the next step is to figure out the best way to reach them. In order to do this, try to put yourself in your client’s shoes. What are the ways in which in which your client communicates? Is it over a social networking site, email, or via phone? Study the ways in which your clients interact with each other, it will be an important step for you in order to figure out a way to reach them.
Once you have understood how your client interacts, try to understand what their needs are. Does your client need freelance writers to reach out to an audience of young adults? Or perhaps they are looking for a nonfiction writer for travel writing pieces. Whatever it may be, study and understood what your client’s needs are and craft a marketing plan that will show your client why you are the best person to meet those needs. When reaching out to potential clients, be sure to use creative ways to catch their attention. Remember, you are not the first freelance writer that they have worked with (or attempted to work with). Develop a specific brand that will make you stick out. That way, in the future your client will have an easier time remembering you and finding you for the next assignment.
- Use stories to sell stories
As human beings, we all love a good story. Some scientists would say we are even wired this way. Use this to your advantage! Ask former clients to write a short testimonial of their experience working with you. In addition, frame your marketing materials in the form of a story (albeit a very short one). You can start from what your client needed and why it was important for them. From there you can expand on how you managed to provide them that much needed service. The more you can craft a marketing plan that connects to others like we connect to stories, the more you will be able to stand out from the crowd.
As a freelance writer, marketing is an essential aspect of what you need to do in order to make a living. Of the time you spend writing, try to spend at least half the time marketing. That way, you will be much more likely to have a steady stream of clients. Go ahead and think about what you can do to reach more clients, and then implement that plan. With time, patience, and dedication, you will see your writing career grow over time.
