You offer a superior writing/editing service. You’ve written an awesome book. Your newsletter is arguably one of the best of its kind.
But if no one knows about it…if no one knows about *you*…
Let’s face it. Marketing your book(s), your products and/or your services is as essential to being a successful writer as, well, writing. Even more so, if your goal is to freelance full-time.
But perhaps even the word “marketing” makes you cringe. It brings visions of placing sweaty-palmed telephone calls to strangers, handing out business cards at cocktail parties that you didn’t even want to attend in the first place, and having a booth at the local Chamber of Commerce business fair. Marketing means keeping you away from what you most want to do–writing.
I know the feeling. Every time I’d get to the chapter on placing cold calls in Peter Bowman’s _The Well-Fed Writer_, I’d screech to a halt. Bowerman states that placing calls to let people know of your availability as a freelance writer is crucial to the success of your business. It seems I’d rather starve.
I know why many of us feel that way. Early on, we discovered that we were far more comfortable and articulate with the written, as opposed to the spoken, word. With a pen in our hands, or at our keyboards, we don’t flush or stammer. And during those times when the right words escape us, no one else has to know about it; the only thing others see is our finished product. This certainly isn’t true when we speak.
So yes, I understand our fear of the “m” word. But we need to be honest with ourselves–how much do we *really* want to achieve full- time freelance writing success? Do we want it enough to accept the fact that emailing our resumes in response to a few job offers we see online will never bring in enough work to support us? Do we want it enough to realize that we should spend at least 75 percent of our time (at least in the beginning) on either online or offline marketing, whether its telephone cold calling, placing ads and articles in ezines, sending press releases, or joining our local Chambers of Commerce?
Because, in order to truly succeed as a freelancer, I firmly believe we have to accept, embrace and even learn to enjoy the marketing aspect of our business. I know this because my own failure to succeed as a full-time freelance writer a few years back was solely because I did not develop, implement and sustain an ongoing marketing plan. Not because I didn’t possess the skills and talent. Not because the markets weren’t out there. But because I didn’t let enough people know I existed, or exactly what it was I could do to help their businesses.
My stepdaughter’s soccer team used to have a pre-game cheer that went like this: “You gotta want it to win it, and we want it more!” If that sounds like how you feel about having a full-time freelance writing business, start today to overcome your fear of marketing and (thank you, Nike) just do it!
Not sure how to get started? Here are a few tools for you:
1. Pick up a free marketing workbook here: http://hypertracker.com/go/writesuccess/plan . While you’re there, sign up for Rob’s free marketing ezine, too. It is always filled with excellent ideas on how independent consultants (which includes us freelance writers, by the way) can find and attract more business.
2. Consider purchasing the ebook, _Local Email Profits_, which shows you how to approach professionals and businesses in your hometown to offer your writing services. You’ll find it here: http://hyperTracker.com/go/writesuccess/WSNAAW/ .
3. Read books on marketing. One excellent resource, which you can find at your local library or in bookstores, is _Guerrilla Marketing for Writers_, cowritten by Jay Conrad Levinson and others.
Then get started right away. Who knows? You may actually learn to love marketing yourself–especially when your efforts start to bring in steady and profitable freelance work.
Mary Anne Hahn has written numerous articles on writing, the writing life,
business and career topics. She is also editor and publisher of
WriteSuccess, the free biweekly ezine of ideas, information and
inspiration for people who want to pursue SUCCESSFUL writing careers.
Ti subscribe, mailto:writesuccess-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .
