May 9, 2008
I found a few useful and interesting posts in my ‘net travels this week that I wanted to share with you.
The first is a blog post on a unique way to use Google Alerts. A few months ago, I posted on how I use Google Alerts to do research for major products. I also have used it lately to stay on top of news related to my niches, and particular branches of the Internet marketing world. This post from The Christian Real Estate Network explains how to use Google Alerts to find new customers.
Since it is geared toward Real Estate agents, it doesn’t transfer completely, but it did get me thinking about using the service to find customers. Try setting up a Google alert for “where can I find a ghostwriter” or “content writer wanted” and see what kind of leads you can find.
Next on my list of neat finds this week was this article on article marketing. Just a warning - there’s an ad you have to skip before you get to the actual page. It’s a nice run down of some basic things to cover when you write an article for marketing purposes, and I liked the author’s perspective on benefits oriented copy.
Finally, I was really inspired by Justin Brooke’s post on landing JV partners. A joint venture, or JV, is an agreement between two parties that benefits them both. Arranging JVs can help you boost sales for your site, get more subscribers and gain more traffic. Although I’m not ready to approach “big” marketers, as the post implies, it certainly gave me a few ideas for branching out. As writers, it’s very easy for us to approach someone and offer something to help their business, as Justin suggests to do.
Hope you enjoy these as much as I did!
Posted in Link Love 
No Comments »
May 7, 2008
I’m dealing with a client this week that I should have “fired” long ago. This particular situation has gotten extremely messy and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy (not that I have enemies!). But it did help me reflect on firing clients, and how to do so easily.
The first step to firing a client is getting up the courage to do so. You have to realize that as a business owner, you are in charge of who you work with. You don’t have an obligation to work with a particular person, no matter what they try to tell you or promise you in the future. As long as you fulfill your obligation for the current work, you don’t have to continue working with a person if you don’t want to.
Think about how to get out of the relationship. If it’s just a personality conflict, then it’s up to you whether you want to ruffle their feathers with the truth or tell a little white lie like “I’m cutting back on my work hours.” It’s your call based on the situation, and sometimes it is best to just stretch the truth instead of telling them “You’re a psychotic anal retentive jerk.”
If there’s a problem with the project, or they’ve crossed the line in some respect, you may want to let them know specifically why you are terminating the relationship. For example, when I first started out, a client hired me for content writing and once I received his reference materials it became clear that he really needed a copywriter (and someone who didn’t mind writing about “mature” content). I’m no nun…but I definitely refunded his money and let him know he was barking up the wrong tree.
Firing a client takes a leap of faith. I know there’s always that moment when you wonder if you’ll ever have a client to replace the one you are leaving behind. There is. There will be plenty. Get over it and get on with your life. You’ll feel much better when you get the client out of your roster.
After you’ve fired a client, analyze what went wrong. Was it a lack of communication? Was there a problem with your contract (or the fact that you didn’t have one)? Did you do too little research at the start of the project to figure out if it was right for you? Was the project just over your head? Even if your former client was totally to blame for the problems, there’s always something you can learn to make your relationship with your future clients better and more productive.
Posted in Client Relations 5 Comments »
May 5, 2008
Raising rates is one of those sticky situations that freelancers dread. Although the eventual benefits are great, there’s always the second guessing…”Am I raising them too high? Should I raise them at all? Am I asking too little? Will I be happy with these rates?”
If you avoid the situation all together, you’ll end up working for much less than you should. Everyone has to start somewhere - even if it is just $5 an article. I know I started at that rate to get some feedback under my belt, and then quickly moved up the rate ladder to my current fees. When you do the same, you’ve got to make a decision on when it’s right to raise your rates. If your rates need a reality check, review this list and ask yourself if it’s time to move up the pay scale.
Sign #1: Clients are overly enthusiastic about your rates.
A good rate can make any client happy, but a rock-bottom low rate can make them positively ecstatic. If your bid on a project is met with “Wow! That’s fantastic! I had no idea it would be so low!” and after the project, the client writes things like “I can’t believe you charge so little for outstanding work!” there’s something wrong with the picture.
Don’t get me wrong. I think maintaining reasonable rates for your work is important, and there’s nothing wrong with keeping clients happy. But if you get client after client who can’t believe you’re working for so low, it’s a red flag.
Sign #2: You realize your time is worth more than you are charging.
After writing at a low rate for a few projects, you begin to realize that charging so low is for the birds. If you could earn two, three or four times as much as you charge initially, why shouldn’t you? Your time and talent should be paid for accordingly.
Sign #3: You win every bid you place
If you are building your freelance business from a bidding site, there’s something wrong if you win each and every bid that you place. Bidding sites are notorious for having ultra-low prices for projects. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t win some projects you bid on. But if you are winning everything you bid on, you may be the low bidder that everyone else is complaining about.
Sign #4: Other writers are outsourcing work to you…a lot
This isn’t always a sign that you need to raise your rates. But if you consistently become the “go to” person for several other writers you have to start wondering how much they’re charging to be able to afford to hire you.
Sign #5: You begin to wonder if it’s worth it
If you are putting your heart and soul into your freelancing jobs, and feeling unfulfilled afterward, raising your rates may help. No one likes to be undervalued. Getting paid decently for the time that you put into writing will make you feel better about your freelancing career and about yourself.
What do you think? Have you experienced any of these signs? Do you think there are more?
Posted in Making Money 1 Comment »
April 26, 2008
Here’s some weekend fun for you fellow writing nerds like me! 
If you’ve ever cringed at a grammatical error on a public sign, you’ll appreciate this site.
http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/
The use of quotation marks on this site reminds me of the proofreading job that I had for the Valley Yellow Pages that I ended up quitting because I couldn’t stand the way that advertisers wanted to use spelling and punctuation. The ads were full of errors like “Order” Now and Make Sure U Get One!!!
Posted in Fun Stuff 3 Comments »
April 22, 2008
My need for a “sabbatical” resulted from something I’m going to term “web content writing burnout.” I’ve seen it happen a lot before, and remember reading a lengthy post on a message board when I first started writing online. At the time it seemed like a foreign problem that I’d never encounter. I was so thrilled to be making money from writing. I didn’t think it could ever happen to me, but 2008 has been a gigantic ball of stress and deadlines.
I think web writing burnout is common for a few different reasons, some that are fixable and some that are just the nature of the beast. The main reason, and feel free to disagree with me, is that web content can get a bit boring. It’s not the creative fiction or the insightful magazine column that some people wish they could be writing. It’s a means to an end instead of an end itself.
At first, it is the perfect opportunity to make some easy money. But after a while, easy becomes mind-numbingly boring. The ease of the articles makes it tempting to pack ten or twenty in per day and once you’ve set that pace for yourself, it can be hard to set more realistic deadlines. What results is writing that is under par, and even more frustration. It’s a nice recipe for disaster.
The solution? For me it was in changing my mindset and my perspective on where my web writing sat within the greater scheme of things. I’ve always been a writer but (this may be true for most of you) writing online was something that wasn’t a goal. In fact, when I made the decision to work from home two and a half years ago, the thought of combining my love of writing and the Internet hadn’t even crossed my mind. After I learned about web content, I was really excited to put my skills to good use. Then when I found Tiffany Dow and was introduced to the world of Internet Marketing, things got even more exciting.
As thrilled as I’ve been to make money online, it’s a far cry from the writing I dreamed of doing once upon a time. Maybe you relate? If you get stuck in thinking “I was supposed to write a novel” or “I was supposed to see my name in print” you can get discouraged pretty fast. What I resolved was to abandon the “or” thinking - instead of thinking web content OR writing dreams, it became web content AND writing dreams. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Web writing is a vehicle to use to reach a goal. My personal goal, and what I value most, is freedom. Web writing allows a great deal of freedom, along with a great opportunity to build up virtual real estate that will continue to earn while I move onto other writing projects. Web writing is a tool to achieve my goal of freedom.
It can also be used a tool for many other things: extra income (who doesn’t need that?), funding while you write the Great American Novel, or a way to get some clips under your belt to move on to published writing. Although the skills you learn as a web writer don’t transfer over completely, working as a web writer is better than working doing something non-writing related.
Ironically, this advice is exactly what I’ve been giving other people and wasn’t listening to myself. I lost my way somehow in the deadlines and keyword research and forgot what I’d been advising all along: Use web writing to fuel your other projects. Whether those projects are internet marketing related or involve other forms of freelance writing, web writing is a way to get there. Once I re-discovered this for myself, my burnout fizzled out and I was ready to go back to work.
What about you? Have you experienced web content writing burnout?
Posted in Web Writing Basics 6 Comments »
April 15, 2008
1. When I posted about my experiences with Twitter back in November last year, quite a few people wondered just what I was talking about. It seems that this week many people are either discovering it for the first time, or finding a renewed interest. Hooray! I’m glad to see this neat little tool get the respect it deserves. Of course, this may mean more Twitter spam and “add friend” requests. I know of a couple of tools that allow people to add friends on a mass scale, so keep an eye on who is adding you and why. Personally, I have been using it as a tool for conversation and sharing random finds around the next, and occasionally as a notification blast for Sell Your Writing Online updates. I use Twitbin so I can twitter without logging into the main site.
2. Successfool - A relatively new blog that features inspiring interviews with people who have made their business dreams come true. The stories at Successfool prove that with the right mindset, tools and some determination, it’s possible for you too.
3. The fact that my taxes are done! I normally do them in January, but this year was a whole new ball of wax. Thanks to TurboTax I got them done quickly and easily last night. Hooray!
Posted in Cool Tools, Fun Stuff, Link Love 2 Comments »
April 14, 2008
Okay…so maybe killing off this blog was a bit premature. One month off was enough. Look for the return of regularly scheduled insights on the web writing life and ‘net business coming soon!
Posted in Uncategorized 6 Comments »
content rss
Recent Comments