It's true. No matter what the business. No matter what the size. All business runs on content. This means all businesses need writers.
And, you know what?
If you can write content that is optimized and formatted properly, you can be one of those writers.
Here are a few statistics from Social Media Today:
CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing.
Nearly 50% of companies have
If you’re a freelance writer who does editing and promotes your services online, it’s no doubt you get queries from strangers. Dealing with potential clients who you don’t know is not a problem if all contact and work is done online. But, what if the client doesn’t have internet access and asks to mail his manuscript to you?
You might be shaking your head, thinking that everyone has internet access. Well, let me assure you that there are some people who don’t have internet access. So, if you’re contacted by this type of client, the question arises: Should you give your home address to someone you don’t know, even if it’s to earn money?
The answer is NO.Okay, so what do you do?
As a freelance writer, you need to have at least three strategies in place to handle the unexpected:
1. Have a post office box for your freelance writing business. Don’t give your home address to someone you don’t know.
2. You might prepare a questionnaire for potential clients to fill out. This will help you determine if you want to work with this individual. You might include the individual’s experience level, genre, a synopsis of the manuscript, writing affiliations/groups, and so on.
Why might having this information be important before accepting a gig?
There are a lot of people out there with a lot of ideas for books. I’ve been contacted to edit a nonfiction manuscript that explained how to commit crimes without getting caught.
Enough said on that.
In an article by Allena Tapia at About.com, she suggests leaving the questionnaire “soft” because down the road you may have a client who gives you lots of trouble and you’ll want to avoid that situation again. Being able to revise or add to your questions makes for a more effective questionnaire.
3. Have a note (some text) on your business website that explains you may not be able to accept all queries due to work load. This lets the individual know it’s possible you’re not available and is an easy out when asked to work with someone you’re not comfortable with.
You might also add your questionnaire to your website, giving visitors and potential clients an idea of what’s involved in working with you. If you decide to do this, you can create a separate page for it. Have the link to that page on your Services page. This will make it convenient for anyone thinking of using your services.
These are three simple freelance writing steps to help keep you safe.
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MORE ON FREELANCE WRITINGWriting for Money – Breaking Into Freelance WritingFreelance Writing Work: The PossibilitiesSetting Your Freelance Writing Rates~~~~~
To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).Karen Cioffi
Award-Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Author Online Presence Instructor
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012
Online Marketing Ebooks and Ecourses:
http://karencioffi.comKaren Cioffi Professional Writing Services
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/karen-cioffi-writing-services/
Do You Have a Good Client Horror Story?
By Featured Writer Matt Ramage
Recently, an anonymous story was posted on
Search Engine Journal about a nut-job client. It’s one of those stories that is so hilarious because it’s just plain ridiculous. However, when this scenario happens to you, it’s not so funny…
But let’s face it, this will happen to all of us at some point. And if it hasn’t here are some things to look for:
Misunderstanding SEOUnderstanding SEO can be difficult if you’re hearing about it for the first time. For example, take this
conversation via Clients From Hell. A potential client asks if it’s possible to get their child dance troupe to rank #1 for “Lady Gaga”. What?! Or how about
this one who believes that it’s acceptable to have 1600 keywords in meta tags for your home page!
These may not be the craziest things you’ve heard, but there are plenty of others out there.
Put It in WritingOne of the most common complaints I’ve heard from
web marketing firms is that clients will often keep asking for more changes and different projects that weren’t what was agreed to in the initial contract. Then, when the work isn’t completed, the client will become angry because they haven’t gotten what they asked for. It’s important to bring this up and highlight exactly what they signed up for. You might need to adjust accordingly for completion of this work but it can be hard to not let a client take advantage of you, especially if you’re just starting out as a freelancer. It also helps to have some breathing room and flexibility to deal with more demanding or high profile clients.
Weighing in on the Good and BadTechnical aspects aside, there are just some clients that you won’t get along with. As always in disagreements, the best route is to keep your cool and take a breather when you really feel like going berserk. You can try to get to know the client on a personal level and cater to what you think will make them happy or at least, prevent a blowout.
In the end, experts recommending doing a pro/cons or cost/benefits list to consider if it’s better for your business to keep or not renew (aka fire) the client.
Of course dealing and thinking about our own past clients from hell may not bring back good or even helpful memories. That’s why it’s beneficial to hear from others to look at things in a different perspective to see what you would do and any lessons you can learn. Let us know if you have any stories you’d like to share!
Matt Ramage is Creative Director at Emarketed.com and you can find more of his writing on his blog at
Emarketed.net.
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More on Freelance Writing:
Freelance Writing Work: The PossibilitiesTips for Content Subcontracting in Your New Freelance Business
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