VOLUME 15, ISSUE 6 – JUNE 2016
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOU A PREDICTABLY SUPERIOR WRITER?
FLCW’s Email Underscores the How and Where of Higher Writing Rates
II. “FIELD” GREENS: DOS AND DON’TS OF BUSINESS-CARD EXCHANGES
NJ FLCW Shares Strategies for Making the Most of Card-Based Networking Events
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: LANDING THE HUNGRY, HIGH-PAYING CLIENT! (Part 1 of 2)
INDY FLCW Serves Up the “What, Why, Who and Where” of Today’s Juiciest Gigs!
IV. DESSERT: A COMBO SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIP!
Canadian FLCW Taps Easy-to-Use Infographic-Creation Tool, Wows Client!
CHECK OUT MY NEW PODCAST!
Did a fun interview with Fast Track Freelancer founder Josh Margulies earlier this year. Afterwards, Josh wrote: “Thank you again for a really informative, practical, and substantive interview, filled with so many awesome points and ideas. My listeners will undoubtedly appreciate this episode immensely.”
Check it out HERE (and pass it on!)
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOU A PREDICTABLY SUPERIOR WRITER?
FLCW’s Email Underscores the How and Where of Higher Writing Rates
Got this note from a successful FLCW recently:
Another new client asked if I have any wiggle room on my price for 10 emails (at $100 each). This will probably take me a few hours total, so I dropped it to $750, which will still be plenty profitable. Lesson learned: Start high so you can come down if you have to. He said he works with another writer who charges $50 an hour (ugh!) but would rather work with me. Lesson #2: Do great work so your clients love you and will gladly pay your higher fees for the quality!
Now, if that isn’t the very picture of the ideal client we all need to be pursuing, I don’t know what is: one who’ll pay more—and sometimes far more—than they’ll pay another writer, just to get a better job, and have it done right. Someone for whom the predictable superior outcome is the goal. The outcome trumps money (within reason) every time.
Think about that: Good clients can and DO perceive the difference between a great writer and an average one. Sounds obvious, but to some writers trying to get traction, they look around at writers asking for $5-10 per article, and ask, “How in the world can I compete with that?”
Of course, the answer is, “You’re not competing with that, and if you try to, you’re either going to lose, or go broke winning.” You don’t compete, you distinguish yourself in some way: by having a niche or specialty, by simply being a better writer, but first and foremost, by looking in different places for work.
Yes, you have to be a decent writer to make money in this field, but I’d wager good money there are plenty of writers out there with modest skills—skills little better than those struggling on the online job sites or writing for the content mills—but they’re making a decent living (i.e., making at least $50+ an hour or more).
How? Simply because they stopped hanging out in those low-rent writing ghettos, and stopped bidding on projects with a zillion other writers (a surefire strategy for driving rates down to nothing) and started proactively hunting for clients.
Now, those modest skills are unlikely to propel you into $90-$100-$125/hour+ territory, and far higher than that, like our friend above, but improve them, redirect them into narrower directions, and deliver that predictable superior outcome, and watch what clients will be willing to pay. On that upbeat note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: DOS AND DON’TS OF BUSINESS-CARD EXCHANGES
NJ FLCW Shares Strategies for Making the Most of Card-Based Networking Events
While business-card exchanges can be worthwhile events, if they’re done without a plan, they can just as easily be wastes of time. Check out this solid advice from Tinton Falls, NJ FLCW Mary Ellen Landolfi for maximizing the potential of gatherings like these.
Business card exchanges are popular events at local Chambers of Commerce and other business organizations. They’re usually low-cost, and make sense to attend if pressed for time, as you can typically spend less than an hour at this type of networking event.
Still, these events aren’t without their challenges. If the room is packed, it’s sometimes difficult to have more than a couple of conversations with attendees. And even if you end up with a pocketful of business cards from new contacts and potential clients, many networkers don’t have a follow-up plan for making the most of their new card collection.
A few tips for making these events more productive:
1) LESS IS MORE: Go with the mindset of making a handful of meaningful connections, rather than collecting as many cards as possible. If you find three new contacts worth following up with, you’ve made it a successful event.
2) EAT/DRINK FIRST: If there’s food and drink, and you’re thirsty or famished, get there early and grab a quick snack/drink before it’s crowded, so you’re not trying to juggle plates, glasses, napkins and business cards all at the same time.
3) LOOK, THEN FILE: When someone introduces him/herself and offers their card, don’t immediately just add it to the growing stack. Take a few seconds to read it, maybe ask a question or two. If you decide they’re worth following up with, jot down a note on the back of the card to remind yourself of who they were.
4) FOLLOW UP: A day or two after the event, follow up with your new contacts. Avoid the “hard-sell” follow up; a quick note/email is fine. If coffee or lunch with someone makes sense, make a note in your calendar to follow up with them and make it happen.
5) FOCUS, DON’T FLING!: Don’t be one of those people who sprints around such events flinging cards at anyone with barely a “Hi, nice to meet you.” You’ll be memorable, but for all the wrong reasons!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: LANDING THE HUNGRY, HIGH-PAYING CLIENT! (Part 1 of 2)
INDY FLCW Serves Up the “What, Why, Who and Where” of Today’s Juiciest Gigs!
Part 1 of a solid two-parter from Indianapolis FLCW Andrea Emerson on one of the best and most promising directions in which to steer your copywriting business: companies doing content marketing (and that’s a LOT of them).
Part 1 here sets the stage, establishing the realities of today’s business climate and why this direction makes so much sense. Part 2 (next month) will get into who these hungry prospects are, and how to find them. Andrea blogs about what it takes to build a profitable freelance business here. Thanks, Andrea!
What if I told you, you don’t ever have to persuade a prospect on the value of copywriting or content marketing? I never have.
And if your goal is a GOOD freelancing income, don’t write for content mills (unless you’re a newbie needing samples (the pay is alarmingly low, you have little to no control over terms, rates, or client relationships, and you’re treated like a low-level worker.)
I know the idea of selling makes you twitchy and uneasy. In fact, some of you feel downright paralyzed, unable to launch or grow your freelance business because of it. We’re going to fix that.
I’ll walk you through where to find high-paying work with no pressure on you, or the prospect.
But first, you need to understand where the marketing industry is today—especially with respect to content trends.
Companies are shifting their marketing budgets and strategies to content in a BIG way. All of their performance metrics point to an undeniable fact: Content is the only marketing that works in today’s market, when buyers are more skeptical, distracted and discerning than they’ve ever been.
In fact, studies tell us content marketing generates 3X more leads per dollar than traditional tactics, and astute marketers are well aware of the fact.
According to a recent industry survey*:
- 76% of marketers report they will produce more content in 2016
- 51% say they’ll increase their content marketing spend in the next 12 months
- 60% say producing engaging content is their #1 challenge
(*To access the survey, go here, then scroll down to the graphic entitled: B2B Content Marketing: 2016 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America)
What this means for you and me is that any company big enough to have a marketing director is likely starving for fresh, quality content. The obstacle is that they often lack in-house talent or capacity to produce all that content.
These companies are already sold on the value of content, have a dedicated budget, and are actively seeking out writers.
They’re salivating at the thought of having original content to share with their audience on an ongoing basis.
Get that? They are already sold. And have deep pockets, to boot.
You already have a starving crowd; all you have to do is feed them.
These are the people—the only people—you should go after. Waste no time on prospects who don’t value, don’t understand, or can’t afford what you have to offer.
Okay, now that we’ve set the groundwork, in Part 2 next month, we’ll talk about who these folks are and how to reach them. Stay tuned!
IV. DESSERT: A COMBO SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIP!
Canadian FLCW Taps Easy-to-Use Infographic-Creation Tool, Wows Client!
A very cool dual-purpose piece—success story and tip—from Niagara Falls, Ontario FLCW LouAnne Reddon. I love how she just stepped up— when the designer was absent—learned how to do this, and blew the client away. I have to say, her assurances that even a non-designer type can easily create amazing results has me curious to try it myself!
Peter has literally written the book on collaborating with a designer.* Sometimes, the client will even do the match-making! Case in point…
One of my regular clients teamed me up with a freelance graphic artist he often retained. When the artist was unavailable, I attended a meeting alone and suggested the client present his mountain of disorganized material as an infographic: simple, visual, easy to digest and something different for the reader.
This was a very hip and trendy departure from the company’s usual fare. The client loved the idea! How soon could he see a first draft? Um, without an artist onboard, probably never.
Then I remembered Canva.
It’s so easy to use, even yours truly was able to create, in a few hours, a beautiful infographic based on Canva’s free templates, clip art and stock images. The finished piece was more than good enough to present and have the client circulate for approval. (It looked so finished and polished, no one wanted to mark it up with revisions!)
When the graphic artist returned, he knew exactly how to adjust the piece for the company’s branding, add some proprietary images and prep the file for both print and digital versions.
Canva’s templates are free (premium upgrades are very reasonable) and go beyond infographics to include postcards, greeting cards, newsletters, posters and more that you can use to wow your prospects or create your own promo materials.
Shorten your learning curve by going through the online tutorials. And don’t rely on the auto-save function; be sure to save your creations manually as you go along. (Listen to the voice of experience…)