Building a Financially Sustainable Writing Career: Marketing
November 11, 2008 by J.C. Hewitt
Most freelancers already know that they need to market themselves. Bloggers usually know this too, although they sometimes focus on their blog as their only marketing tool. Marketing is for all writers though, and in fact for anyone who wants to have a sustainable professional career. A fully employed technical writer or business writer might not see the need for marketing themselves, but even a “permanent” job can suddenly end, and the more well-known and respected you are, the easier it will be to find the next job.
If you are out of work, you need marketing even more. Sending out your resume in response to a job advertisement is just one way to get a job, and it is the way that ensures you have the most competition. Building a solid public reputation opens many doors and helps bring people to your door instead of you having to hunt for them. The best job search is the one that is already being done before you need the job.
Create a Portfolio
The first, most basic step that every writer should take is to create a personal portfolio. Collect samples of your best work and have them ready to send out at a moment’s notice. Be ready for print or electronic distribution. The more professional your portfolio looks the more professional and qualified you look. Don’t forget to add a business card, a well-designed resume and a professional biography.
Build a Web Site
It should come as no surprise that I recommend every writer have a web site. Even if you don’t want to be a blogger or web publisher, having a small, attractive site that has samples of your work makes you much easier to find. That is the key to marketing, making sure that when people are thinking of a writer with your skills, they can find you. The site isn’t just for prospective employers. It should be media friendly as well. Make sure it has a contact form or at least your email address so that it is easy to get in touch with you.
Be Social
One of the best ways to get your qualifications out there is to join social groups, both online and in person. Almost ever writing field has an organization that caters to it, from the Society for Technical Communication to the Public Relations Society of America to the Direct-Mail/Marketing Association. Beyond those groups, there are general groups of business people such as The Toastmasters, The Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Online, of course, you have services such as LinkedIn and Xing, which allow you to exchange resumes and professional contacts all over the world.
Advertise
When I needed freelance work to get me by while I was getting my Master’s Degree, I put an ad in the local newspaper. It has a professional services section and no other writer has a listing, so I put one in and I almost immediately got work. The ad paid for itself and more within two weeks. I also advertised on my web site, and generated some business that way. This was passive recruitment. I didn’t have to call a single person or send them my resume/portfolio. They came to me. It is amazing how many people are looking for your skills but just don’t know where to find them. Advertising in print publications is generally cheap. Advertising on a relevant web site can be an even bigger bargain. Sometimes you’ll want to do this even when you don’t need the work right away, just to make sure people remember you.
Pick Up the Phone
Do you know why cold calling works? It works for four reasons:
- It is quick
- It is direct
- It can be done from anywhere
- Most people don’t have the guts to do it
You can spend all day telling me why you can’t call people. Yes, it is hard to do. The only reason to do something that personal and risk individual rejection is that it works. You can get rejected a hundred times in a day. Getting rejected takes almost no time at all. The sale you make is what matters, especially when you absolutely have to put food on the table.
Get Your Name Out
There are literally hundreds of marketing strategies. I highly recommend reading a book or two on marketing so that you understand the general concepts. There are also companies (and writers) who specialize in doing this for you. The important thing about marketing, especially if you aren’t the type to cold call a company, is to be working on it while you have work so that opportunities are easier to find when you need them.
A key to sustainability is to avoid having limited resources. When it comes to a career, your resources are personal and professional contacts, advertising, marketing materials, marketing knowledge and a high profile. Having all of these instead of just a few will help you sustain a long-term marketing career.
John, nicely done article. Although a lot of what you talk about may seem to some to be common sense or everyday knowledge, I think your articles lays things out in a clear, crisp way that reminds even veteran writers of areas that they may be neglecting.
One of the best things I learned in my capstone class for my undergrad degree was to have a portfolio. It was the culminating project for our class and I’ve kept one ever since. However, you have added some new ideas as I had never thought of including a professional biography.
Last, but not least, thanks for including the shout-out to Toastmasters. Being part of Toastmasters has opened numerous doors for me.
Thanks for this series, John.
Morgans last blog post..Women are Veterans Too
@ Morgan
I have had friends who really enjoyed Toastmasters. I never joined myself, but I have heard good things. I’m glad to see your endorsement as well.
Marketing one’s services requires the same four Ps as marketing any other service or product. Understanding and addressing these Ps are key to landing the “dream job.”
Product: What can you do? What service do you offer? What, exactly, is your “product”? Think very carefully about this. You might be “selling” more than the actual service. What does your service actually provide? What you do is write articles, for example, but your product might be the time you save your client.
Price: What will the product cost, and how will your target audience perceive the price? Is it within an expected range? Does it offer an acceptable exchange rate for the service (i.e., your audience perceives that the price is appropriate for what they will get)?
Place: Where can people acquire your service? How do they get it? Where is it performed?
Promotion: How will people learn about what you have to offer? Where does your target audience go for information? What kinds of promotional tools and media do they respond best to? (And don’t forget to write clearly, professionally, and appropriately for the audience!)
Here’s an example, using one of our services at Precise Edit: Writing Tips for a Year.
Product: The service is writing tips and strategies delivered daily by e-mail, but the actual product is confidence in one’s writing.
Price: We would like to charge a lot for this, but the potential buyers, our target audience, are unlikely to pay much for daily e-mails, so we set it very low at $2.
Placement: We can’t go to everyone’s offices to sign them up for this service, nor can we deliver it in person. That would be impossible. The placement for getting the service, in this case, is online at our website, and the service is performed by e-mail.
Promotion: People will learn about this from a variety of sources, since our target audience is varied. Once we decided where people already go for information about writing and instructional services, we tailored our efforts to promote the service in those “places.” This may include classifieds in campus newspapers, our main website, our various mailing lists, and our social networks.
Here’s the bottom line: Research your target audience, and then create a marketing plan based on the four Ps of marketing.