VOLUME 15, ISSUE 12 – DECEMBER 2016
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOUR WRITING SKILLS IN THE RIGHT “CONTEXT”?
Writing Chops and Marketing Savvy Aren’t All You Need to Succeed…
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ARE YOU MAKING GOOD FRIENDS?
MA FLCW Shares and Praises the Enduring Value of Social/Business Friendships
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: HELPING YOUR CLIENTS “GET THE MESSAGE”?
TX FLCW Shows Power of Messaging Workshops to Create Demand for Work
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
IL FLCW Keeps Up Steady, Ongoing Personalized Emails, Keeps the Pipeline Full!
TIP: GA Freelancing Guru Shares Simple Strategy for More Client Testimonials
“WHAT I’D DO DIFFERENTLY IF STARTING OUT TODAY…”
ours truly showed up in Jennifer Mattern’s (Jenn’s one of my favorite and most knowledgeable copywriting voices out there) All Freelance Writing blog, along with a bunch of other most-impressive folk, all talking about how we’d change our thinking if we were launching our practices today.
Check it out HERE!
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOUR WRITING SKILLS IN THE RIGHT “CONTEXT”?
Writing Chops and Marketing Savvy Aren’t All You Need to Succeed…
Imagine an attorney or CPA who decided to set up shop in the rough part of town, where the local folk didn’t have much money. He could be the best practitioner in the city, but if he was trying to draw most of his business from the immediate area, he’d no doubt struggle.
And that scenario is analogous to our business as well…
Had a conversation the other day with a good friend of mine who’s in the audio-production industry, and works with high-end clients in the entertainment world. He had a pretty juicy couple of days where he was able to bill not only a healthy daily rate, but a handful of overtime hours as well.
And because he has a two-hour minimum, in one case, he ended up making nearly $500 for a little over an hour’s work. Because he stays pretty busy, he was able to say to the client, “Take it or leave it.” The client took it.
Now, he’s very good at what he does, and the bulk of his work comes from repeat business and referrals, but he’s making the consistently good money that he makes because he understands “context.”
Knowing that skill will only take him so far, he made the very conscious decision to work his way into those circles where he doesn’t have to defend his healthy hourly rate.
You see, in his world, where budgets are healthy, and a superior predictable outcome nearly always trumps money (i.e., our ideal client scenario as well), paying high rates, double-time for overtime, and job minimums, is pretty standard.
Anyone wanting to climb into the higher-paying copywriting circles has to do several things. Obviously, you have to be a good writer. Marketing isn’t enough if your skills aren’t up to par.
But even if you’re a great copywriter and you market yourself well and consistently, you’d better be marketing yourself in the right neighborhoods.
A lot of writers start out in lower-paying circles, get comfortable with the steady work, and even though the pay isn’t the stuff of dreams, they hang out there.
Or, they do try to raise their rates, but if they get pushback—and don’t realize it’s a big world out there, with clients at all fee thresholds— they may imagine that this is as good as it gets. Wrong.
It’s like the old story of the guy who loses his keys under one dark streetlamp, but when asked why he’s looking for them under a different, brightly lit one, replies, “Because the light is better.”
When the work is relatively easy and steady, many writers will hang out “where the light is better” rather than go “where their keys are” (i.e., where they know the real money is).
So, figure out where they’re ready to pay good money for someone like you, and hang out there. On that “working-smarter-not-harder” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ARE YOU MAKING GOOD FRIENDS?
MA FLCW Shares and Praises the Enduring Value of Social/Business Friendships
Got this great piece (an excerpt from this larger piece) from Ipswich, MA FLCW Jamie Wallace on the power and potential of forging solid friendships with fellow FLCWs for, yes, both fun and profit. Thanks, Jamie!
A few years into my freelance journey, I shelled out a few bucks to take an online course about writing white papers. While the educational value of the course was fair to moderate (I never did end up writing too many of them), more importantly, I met five B2B copywriters who would help me grow both my confidence and my business.
Together, the six of us founded a collaborative blog called Savvy B2B Marketing. For several years, we blogged about the ins and outs and constant evolution of B2B copywriting, social media, and content marketing.
Since each of us had our own unique background and skills, the experience was like an extreme “in-the-trenches” course about every aspect of the business.
We traded stories, tips, and secrets. We supported each other with referrals, advice, and encouragement. Meeting and working with these smart, kind women was, without question, one of the most important and enjoyable parts of my professional journey. Though we no longer meet regularly, we still keep in touch.
During the Savvy Era, I also had the pleasure of meeting another writer who (although she’d never accept the praise) would become a pivotal force in my career. We met at an impromptu brunch meet-up hosted by Peter Bowerman (in Newburyport, MA, while he was visiting family in the area).
While it was great to meet Peter (I’d read all his books), the best part of the day was meeting another copywriter named Heidi LaFleche. We sat next to each other, and I couldn’t help noticing her Hello Kitty watch and cool manicure (one pinky nail was painted a different color than the rest of her nails).
We struck up a conversation, and the rest is history. Over the years, Heidi generously made introductions to several people in her network, who then became my clients. Through referrals and repeat work, those introductions became the bedrock of my business. Even today, I can still trace many of my clients back to that lovely Sunday morning, sipping mimosas on a deck in Newburyport.
So, find some kindred writing spirits in your area and start building friendships. While they’ll no doubt enrich your spirit, they might just do the same for your bottom line.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: HELPING YOUR CLIENTS “GET THE MESSAGE”?
TX FLCW Shows Power of Messaging Workshops to Create Demand for Work
Got this very useful piece from FLCW Dan O’Brien, on the power—and process—of “messaging workshops” for clients, to help them get clear about what they are, in fact, offering to the world, and be able to convey that effectively.
Dan’s template strikes me as a great—and pretty straightforward—way to demonstrate your expertise to a client (and justify your healthy fees!). Thanks, Dan—good stuff!
You know how scattered commercial writing assignments can be: A blog post here, a web page rewrite there, maybe an ebook or byline for good measure. More often than not, they lack a connective thread that unifies and amplifies the corporate brand message.
What “corporate message,” you say!
After encountering this sort of fuzzy focus one too many times, I convinced a client that he needed to spend a day in fresh thinking about what his brand represented, and how those insights might best be communicated to the market.
Of course, that meant learning enough about brand theory—equity, promise, personality, positioning, etc.—to make the day engaging and productive. If what I called my “Message Map™ Workshop” wasted several executives’ time, I’d jeopardize the entire relationship.
But the client agreed his scattershot content wasn’t getting the traction he wanted. Something had to change, and he was willing to take a chance on my experiment—and pay for it.
It turned out to be a great success from both of our perspectives, and I’ve replicated it a half-dozen times more with other clients.
Although it varies with the client, the agenda generally looks like this:
1) What is a brand? (Some examples, ask for favorites and reasons)
a. What’s YOUR brand? (Personality attributes, positioning vis-à-vis others)
2) What is a story that engages? (Archetypal story arc from Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey”)
a. What’s YOUR brand story? (Customer-as-hero, company-as-guide, action plan)
3) Who’s your target audience/personas? What are their problems? Influencers?
4) What are your competitive differentiators? Unique claims?
a. What evidence do you have for each? Where’s the wow factor?
5) Time travel: Imagine 2020 (Market trends, future status, new customer requirements)
a. Imagine 12 months out (Popular byline and blog headlines? What needs to start now? What resources are available? Relevant research?)
b. Imagine next quarter (Prioritized ideas from workshop)
As the workshop proceeds, I mix in some activities that get them out of their seats to post sticky notes on the wall. Although I use a few PowerPoint slides to establish terminology and so forth, most of the conversation is captured on easel-size Post-It® sheets, which I photograph at the end of the day.
I’m pretty aggressive about challenging client assumptions and lazy thinking, which might be an uncomfortable role for some writers. However, I’ve found that this uncovers lots of copywriting angles that wouldn’t have otherwise emerged. It also seems to free subordinates in the room to say what they typically don’t in front of the boss.
Finally, I follow up with two single-page deliverables:
- The “Brand Narrative” – Four or five headlines and paragraphs that summarize the client’s brand story.
- A “Message Map” – Bullets that capture market dynamics, customer pain points, and product or company differentiators.
Once the client endorses these documents, we have powerful, concise language that can be put to work in every sort of messaging task, from web content to emails to ebooks. You’ve just created a stream of assignments! I’ve even gotten lucrative survey research work out of knowledge gaps identified during the day.
Honestly, this is Marketing 101 material, but for most of my clients it’s a revelation. They spend most of their time on tactical, day-to-day activities and rarely find the time (and third-party, disinterested perspective to take a strategic look at communications goals and implementation.
For a writer, a clear understanding of what the brand means to prospects and customers accelerates the creative process—and inevitably strengthens the client relationship.
Austin, TX-based Dan O’Brien offers expert wordsmithing, content strategy, and survey research services.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
IL FLCW Keeps Up Steady, Ongoing Personalized Emails, Keeps the Pipeline Full!
TIP: GA Freelancing Guru Shares Simple Strategy for More Client Testimonials
Got this cool success story from Chicago-area (and oh-so-ecstatic Cubs fan) FLCW Matt Brennan, and author of Write Right, Sell—a guide to engaging your customers, and getting the most out of your blogging, website content, and digital marketing.
Matt’s story reminds us that there really aren’t any shortcuts in this business. Different ways of getting to self-sufficiency, but plenty of work, regardless of the path you choose!
After that, some great (and oh-so-simple) advice on landing more (and better) client testimonials from Atlanta-based former FLCW and business-building coach Ed Gandia.
Last year I found myself in the position of needing to rebuild my copywriting business from scratch, after spending a little over a year in a full-time, temporary work position.
I wanted something that would supplement networking. While digital marketing produces excellent results, those results are often not as immediate as you would like them to be. With this in mind, I developed a new (to me) approach that might be useful for other writers in similar positions.
I began building an Excel spreadsheet of contact information for designers and marketing agencies that I wanted to work with, and contacting them. I experimented with the email template I used, and the time of the week that I reached out. Once I found the highest yield, I sent out hundreds of emails over the course of the year.
I elected to collect this information, and send each email individually. It allowed me to personalize the template, and my approach to each agency. I used a program called Boomerang for Gmail to occasionally schedule out the emails if I needed to.
I’m sure there are web programs out there to more efficiently collect the data. I’m also sure there are ways to send mass emails that would save more time, but, again, I wanted a more personalized touch.
The list I developed is hovering at about 1,000 agencies. The response rate is relatively low, but the number of agencies I’ve been able to secure consistent work with has tremendously helped my business. Because of the nature of the freelance writing business, you don’t need a super high response rate for it to be successful.
I am expecting to surpass my previous salary next year, and see opportunity for additional growth after that. Much of that is due to generating this list. I am also considering ways to attain additional value from the list.
The client is happy. So happy, in fact, that she takes a minute to tell you how pleased she is with your work. Thank her for telling you. But don’t stop there. Ask her if you can use it as a testimonial.
In fact, offer to “ghostwrite” her glowing comments so she doesn’t have to. And explain that you’ll submit the testimonial draft for her approval before publishing.
Most (if not all) clients will say yes…if you ask them at that moment.
You’ve stacked the deck in your favor by making the request when she’s thinking about you and your excellent work. And you’ve taken the hard work off her plate by offering to transcribe her comments.
Train yourself to do this every time you get praised. It won’t be long before you have five or six excellent testimonials.
PB Note: I’ve done this exact same thing with my books: When someone emails to say how much they enjoyed one of my books, I invite them to write an Amazon review—and provide the link to do so. The result: Well over 130 reviews for TWFW, averaging 4.5 stars; if they’ve reached out to you, by definition, they’ll be writing a gushing review—just like in Ed’s scenario.