Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!
The companion monthly ezine to the
quadruple-award-winning how-to
guide,
ÒThe Well-Fed WriterÓ (http://www.wellfedwriter.com).
Serving
up
food for thought and tasty tips for the prospering FLCW*. Come on
in,
sit anywhere and bring your appetite!
*FLCW, peppered throughout the ezine,
stands for ÒFreelance Commercial
WriterÓ—anyone who freelances
for businesses (vs. writing magazine
articles,
short stories, poetry, etc.), typically earns $50-125+ an
hour,
and is the sole focus of this e-newsletter.
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VOLUME 12, ISSUE 3 – MARCH 2013
Publishing the first Tuesday of every month since May
2002
Read it online at: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine/mar2013.html
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ÒCOLD CALLING FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE (EVEN THE IDEA OF) COLD
CALLINGÓ
Grab the 38-page transcript of my info-packed teleclass with Wendy Weiss
(ÒThe Queen of Cold-CallingÓ). Just $10! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/coldcallingteleseminar.shtml
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IS ÒTHE ÔWELL-FED WRITINGÕ RAMBLEÓ HEADED YOUR WAY THIS
SUMMER?
I'm hitting the road in July, and seeking 12-15 groups to
host me for
talks/workshops!
More in ÒCoffee, MintsÉÓ and at
http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ramble.shtml.
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PARTNER WITH DESIGNERS FOR A LOW-EFFORT FLOW OF WRITING
JOBS!
Details here: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/partnerwithdesignersebook.shtml.
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NEW 1-ON-1 COACHING PROGRAMS: SAMPLE/SITE REVIEW &
ÒSIDECARÓ!
Low-cost peace of mind and guidance: http://wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
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Check out The WELL-FED WRITER BLOG! Weigh in on ÒCommercial
Writing
Has Many Faces (as These Unusual Projects ProveÉ)Ó; ÒTrying
to Make
the
Transition from Employee to Full-Time Commercial Writer?Ó & more!
http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog.
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THIS MONTHÕS MENU:
I. APPETIZER: WHEN NORMAL COPYWRITING RULES MAY NOT APPLYÉ
What Works for Some Clients May Fly in the Face of
Conventional Wisdom
II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: WHAT TO DO WHEN CLIENTS MOVE ON
NC FLCWÕs Firsthand Advice on Preserving Ties to Old Clients
(& Building New Ones)!
III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: SOCIAL-SAVVY AND NEED WORK QUICKLY?
Chicago FLCW Offers Four Social-Media Strategies To Find
Work Now!
IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
Rochester, NY Freelancer Posts to Professional Directory;
Lands $50K in Work!
TIP: Toronto FLCW Observes ÒWave of FutureÓ That Could Spell
Copywriting Gigs!
V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- IS ÒTHE WELL-FED WRITING RAMBLEÓ HEADED YOUR WAY THIS
SUMMER?
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook
Serves Up the ÒHow-ToÓ!
- The WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get
Bonus CD!
- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?
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I. APPETIZER: WHEN NORMAL COPYWRITING RULES MAY NOT APPLYÉ
What Works for Some Clients May Fly in the Face of
Conventional Wisdom
Had an interesting exchange with a client recently. He was a
medical
practitioner
in the Midwest, whoÕd found my site through an organic
Google search (IÕve done very little SEO on my site, but
what I have
done
occasionally bears fruit, as it did here, on a brochure-mailer to
the
tune of ~$1400).
He wanted to redo a mailer heÕd been using to draw patient
traffic to
his
office. ItÕd worked well, but he wanted something newer and
fresher.
One look at the existing piece, and I thought, smiling to
myself,
ÒThisÕll be SO easy to improve.Ó Way too much copy, poorly
written,
typos, bad grammar, the works.
I got to work, slashing and burning, restructuring, cleaning
it up,
adding
a few patient stories. At one point, I told him I wanted to
trim
it even more. He was a really nice guy, very open to suggestions
all
along the way, but here, he replied (and I had to laugh):
ÒI understand why you want to cut the copy way down, but IÕd
actually
rather
have more. The existing mailer, which is over-packed with
copy/info,
is an amazingly successful piece (i.e., itÕs generated lots
of
QUALITY new patient appointments).
ÒPatients literally come in with it clutched in their hands.
I kid you not,
some
even highlight text in the piece that they want to discuss with me.
I know it may seem crazy but I swear itÕs very powerful. In
my experience,
in
marketing my field, more copy is better.Ó
Well. What do you know? We have our rules and formulas for
our
field—what
works and doesnÕt, how to do/not do this, that and the
other.
But, from time to time, weird anomalies like this pop up that
we
need to listen to and respect.
Sure, typos, missing words, bad grammar and syntax are never
acceptable,
but a client whoÕs been marketing successfully to a
particular
audience for many years, has valuable information to share
about
what works with that group, and we need to factor it in. I might
run
this story in the blog to get your similar stories! LetÕs eatÉ
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II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: WHAT TO DO WHEN CLIENTS MOVE ON
NC FLCWÕs Firsthand Advice on Preserving Ties to Old Clients
(& Building New Ones)!
Great piece on keeping track of clients who change jobs,
from Forest
City, NC FLCW Chris Fuller (chris.fuller@performancewriting.com,
http://www.performancewriting.com).
If youÕve cultivated a good
relationship
with a client, and they valued your services before, they
no
doubt will again (as will their replacement!) Enjoy.
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Last summer, I delivered an assignment to a contact at my
biggest
client.
She emailed back and essentially said, ÒThanks for the work,
and
oh, by the way, IÕm leaving at the end of this week.Ó She offered
no
other details, and knowing how things work with this particular
client,
asking via her company email wasnÕt appropriate.
I responded by thanking her for all the work sheÕd sent my
way, adding
that
I enjoyed working with her and if the opportunity arose at the
next
stop along her career path, I would welcome the chance to do so
again.
We exchanged another brief message or two and that was that.
Fast-forward to early November. I noticed on LinkedIn that
my contact
had
a new position, and that sheÕd just viewed my profile. Before I
know
it, sheÕd asked about my availability for a project. I completed
the
project and got rave reviews from her team.
Right away, I get four more assignments similar to the first
one, along
with
some initial discussion of setting up a retainer agreement after the
first
of the year. I also get introductions and conversation with some other
members
of the team. Takeaways:
1) People move around. Develop appropriate one-to-one
business
relationships
with your contacts, building a high enough level of
comfort
so theyÕll let you know when theyÕre making a move. Calling a
contactÕs
office and being told they no longer work there is a one-two
punch
to the gut.
2) Connect via social media with your contacts. LinkedIn is
a great
way
to build client and service provider relationships, but others may
work
just as well for you. If you see your contact has landed a new
gig,
a quick note of congratulations can go a long way.
3) Resist the temptation to press for details about their
departure.
If theyÕre comfortable telling you, they will. Do inquire
about whom
to
contact for future assignments, particularly if the person
departing
is your only contact. Which leads to . . .
4) Develop multiple contacts with your client. If your only
contact
leaves
unexpectedly, is laid off, or is shown the door, you donÕt want
to
be left scrambling. When someone leaves, donÕt start a discussion
about
their departure. If itÕs relevant, youÕll hear about it.
In todayÕs extremely fluid business world, building and
maintaining
good
working relationships with contacts can lead to new opportunities
for
you when they wind up in a new place. You can ease the uncertainty
and
anxiety of their new position by being a familiar and reliable
resource
they can call on when help is needed.
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III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: SOCIAL-SAVVY AND NEED WORK QUICKLY?
Chicago FLCW Offers Four Social-Media Strategies To Find
Work Now!
Matthew Brennan (http://www.matthewlbrennan.com),
a Chicago based FLCW
offering
corporate writing services to businesses and organizations,
serves
up this great primer on ways to quickly ferret out commercial
writing
prospects and gigs through social media. Some great ideas
here,
even for the novice social-media practitioner.
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A lotÕs been written about the long-term importance of
developing a
strong
social media following. And while the long-term benefits of
social
media may not pay your bills next month, when you need work
quickly,
there are still a few ways to go prospect hunting via the
social
networks without alienating those you contact.
Here are four short-term strategies for finding work via
Twitter and
LinkedIn:
1) TWITTER DIRECTORIES: Someone once told me that Facebook
is for
talking
with the people you know, and Twitter is where you locate the
people
you SHOULD know. I couldnÕt agree more. One easy way is through
Twitter directories. I use Twellow.com regularly to find
design firms,
small
businesses, and other ideal clients to partner with. The site
allows
you to find other Twitter users via geography or by the
services
theyÕre listed under. This gives you a wide selection of
potential
contacts suited to your search.
2) TWITTER SEARCH: You can also use Twitter to find the
people who are
seeking
you. Its 500 million users are churning out data 140
characters
at a time, on a regular basis. Searching phrases such as ÒI
need
a copywriterÓ in the Twitter search engine uncovers a list of
people
who have strung those words together in a tweet. Two cautions
on
this however. While I have found a few clients this way in the
past,
it can be difficult to find people who are willing to pay your
rates.
It can also uncover a list of freelance websites that encourage
you
to underbid to get a job—something I wouldnÕt recommend.
3) TWITTER CHATS: Chats are a great way to get to know
people with a
similar
interests, who may eventually be able to point you to work.
They work by simply placing the same hashtag
word in all of your
tweets,
so the right group of people finds them. They are usually
geared
around a particular subject, and itÕs best to stay on point.
You can start following and introduce yourself to the best
business
contacts
to widen your net.
http://socialmediatoday.com/kevin-fawley/407822/20-game-changing-twitter-chats
offers
a good article on the subject.
4) LINKEDIN GROUPS: LinkedIn groups are another excellent
way to
quickly
meet like-minded business professionals and potential clients.
If finding clients is on your mind, ask people in the group
what
theyÕve
done in the past to stir up interest. You can also join local
Chamber and small-business groups where you may be able to
find people
specifically
looking for writers. Most groups also have a ÒpromotionsÓ
tab
where you can post an ad for your business.
Happy hunting!
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IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
Rochester, NY Freelancer Posts to Professional Directory;
Lands $50K in Work!
TIP: Toronto FLCW Observes ÒWave of FutureÓ That Could Spell
Copywriting Gigs!
Award-winning Rochester, NY freelancer and bestselling
author, Marcia
Turner (http://www.marcialaytonturner.com;
her book, ÒThe Unofficial
Guide to Starting a Small BusinessÓ was named ÒOne of the
ÒBest
Business Books of the YearÓ by Library Journal), shares a
great
strategy
she used for landing some BIG jobs. What professional
associations
are you a member of (or could join) to do the same thing?
Following that is a great tip from Canadian (Niagara area)
FLCW Lou
Anne (a.k.a. L.A.) Reddon (http://lareddon.com)
about a very promising
trend
that could potentially lead to all sorts of juicy copywriting
opportunities.
Enjoy!
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In the last several years IÕve been a member of several
organizations
catering
to writers and small businesses. I join such groups to
network
with fellow writers and to improve my skills, be they business
management,
publishing, or writing-related. But it wasnÕt until I
founded
an association that I learned the value of member directories.
I established the Association of Ghostwriters (AOG;
http://associationofghostwriters.org/)
in 2010 to raise the visibility
of
the ghostwriting niche and to provide an online meeting place for
fellow
ghostwriters. I hoped that by working together we could
collectively
attract more clients.
Immediately, inquiries started coming in to the site from
prospects
seeking
ghostwriting help; I regularly send them to our members via
email
as I get them. But last year I decided we needed an online
member
directory so visitors could do their own searching.
Within a few months, members reported theyÕd been contacted
by new
clients
through the directory, and were landing gigs worth tens of
thousands
of dollars. Though IÕd been too busy with my own client work
to
add my own entry, I fixed that immediately.
In my directory listing, I highlight what I think clients
would likely
appreciate:
my business writing experience, the major publishers IÕve
worked
with, the magazines IÕve written for, and a few of the books
IÕve written under my own name.
Almost immediately, this past December, I started getting
emails from
would-be
clients who found me in the directory. IÕve since picked up
two
big projects worth $50,000+ solely from my listing. And not
because
IÕm the associationÕs executive director: I donÕt mention that
in
my listing. I am on equal footing with every other member.
After seeing the value of being included in one member
directory, I
made
a list of other organizations to which I belong, and made sure I
was
in their member directories. If one listing can bring in $50,000+,
imagine
what multiple listings may bring?
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Have you noticed? Professionals (engineers, architects,
dentists,
chiropractors,
lawyers, etc.) are starting to create businesses to
help
other professionals in their field market themselves. TheyÕve
identified
a huge knowledge gap among their compatriots.
Professionals have expertise in their specialties, but many
have
absolutely
no idea how to create content, brochures, blog posts or any
of
the other items that we, as FLCWÕs, could help them with. Another
problem
is that the Internet is eroding their practices.
Thanks to all the do-it-yourself legal forms and online
advice, people
no
longer want/need to pay expensive retainers. Many large firms now
have
in-house marketing departments. Smaller firms will have to
outsource
to keep up.
If you have any kind of background, experience or interest
in such
fields,
you could find opportunities either freelancing for these
professionals
or for the marketing firms supporting them. Visit
http://www.therainmakerinstitute.com/team.html.
Look how many
full-time
copywriters!
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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- IS ÒTHE WELL-FED WRITING RAMBLEÓ HEADED YOUR WAY THIS
SUMMER?
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook
Serves Up the ÒHow-ToÓ!
- The WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get
Bonus CD!
- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?
****************************************
IS ÒTHE WELL-FED WRITING RAMBLEÓ HEADED YOUR WAY THIS
SUMMER?
So, IÕm shaking my life up a bunch this summer with a
two-month road
trip,
promoting a new book, an existing one, AND a message of Òwriting
prosperity.Ó
And IÕm on the hunt for 12-15 groups across the country
that
want to host me for a workshop or talk. IÕd love to meet you and
your
crowd! Details: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ramble.shtml
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MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT?
New Ebook Serves Up the ÒHow-ToÓ!
ThatÕs not hype. ItÕs how my business has worked for the
better part
of
18 years, thanks to some juicy partnerships with graphic designers.
The result? 1-2 jobs virtually every month with little or no
effort on
my
part. And I put all the how-to details down on paper. Check it out
at
http://www.wellfedwriter.com/partnerwithdesignersebook.shtml.
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The WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
*****************************************
AWAI COPYWRITING (& OTHER) COURSES: Register
Here, Get Your Choice of
Bonus CD Program! Six-Figure Copywriting, Graphic Design,
Internet
Writing, Fundraising, Health Market and more!
http://www.wellfedwriter.com/awai.shtml.
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HOW CAN MY MULTIPLE MENTORING PROGRAMS SERVE YOU?
For details and testimonials, visit
http://www.wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
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