As a copywriter, you need to find clients to write for. Joining a business networking group can be a gold mine for a copywriter.
Business networking groups are organizations that bring like-minded businesspeople together and are a great place to build relationships and partnerships.
There are literally millions of networking groups that meet in person or online worldwide. Here are three networking resources that can be instrumental in building your copywriting business.
LinkedIn has more than 58 million companies listed and more than 930 million users. It’s the top business networking site in the world.
As a copywriter, you need a LinkedIn profile and a place where you can post articles and portfolio pieces you’ve written. Anyone who is considering hiring you will want to see examples of your work. If you are “the copywriter they’ve been searching for,” the evidence will be right in front of them.
You can interact with LinkedIn members by commenting on their posts and following them. If done right, you can slowly build a relationship with a prospective client you’d really like to work with.
For instance, if you follow a web-designer and make regular comments on some of their posts, it’s only natural for that web-designer to visit your profile. And maybe some synergy is created between the two of you. You two start networking, you build some trust, and soon that web-designer becomes your perfect collaboration partner. He builds the websites, and you create the content.
LinkedIn is a great way to strategically market your copywriting business online and build a network of other businesspeople.
Building your network is the key. You can do it online or you can do it in person with Business Networking International (BNI).
BNI
BNI is the largest referral-based business networking group in the world, with over 300,000 members in over 75 countries. According to the BNI website, bni.com, “In 2022, BNI Members generated $20.4 billion USD in revenue via more than 13 million referrals.”
BNI groups are successful because the members build trust and credibility with each other by getting together on a one-to-one basis and learning about each other’s business and personal life. A chapter can truly become a close-knit circle of friends and your personal marketing team.
Through “one-to-ones,” you will have the opportunity to explain what you do and how you can help each member grow their business with your writing skills. You can go into detail about what your ideal client looks like and the best way for them to refer that client to you.
As your group of BNI “partners” get to know you better and trust you, they will feel comfortable giving you warm referrals to their circle of influence.
BNI members are very loyal to each other as a group. The BNI motto is: “Givers Gain.” You refer business to the members and they, in return, will do the same.
BNI meets on a regular basis, usually once a week, and runs a very organized meeting. There is a structure in place, and they put an emphasis on attendance. The reason behind attendance accountability is, BNI believes if you don’t show up regularly, you can’t build trust with the others.
BNI is different from other networking groups because they only allow one business per category in each group. I’ve been a member of my BNI group for 11 years now and I can tell you with confidence that having no competition is a real benefit. The result is that when a member of your group hears a need for your product or service, you are the first person they think of.
Since BNI is an international organization, you can reach out to members in over 75 countries through BNI Connect. If you’re traveling, you can attend a meeting anywhere in the world and introduce yourself and describe your copywriting services.
We had a fellow who was visiting the U.S. from Hungary recently and he dropped by our BNI meeting. He was a website designer and now I have his card and the possibility of building a business relationship with him.
The opportunities for networking for a copywriter through BNI are HUGE! There are so many other benefits that BNI offers that don’t fit within the scope of this article, but I encourage you to visit BNI.com if you’re interested in finding out more.
Facebook Groups
According to InfluencerMarketingHub.com, as of August 2022 there are over 10 million groups on Facebook with over 1.8 billion people using them each month. Unlike LinkedIn, where the online population is primarily businesspeople, Facebook groups can be a business (like AWAI) or private groups you need permission to join. There are over 70 million admins and moderators running active Facebook groups.
Just like LinkedIn, once you’re admitted, you can get involved with the other members of the group by joining chats and commenting on their posts. With activity, you slowly begin to build relationships and create opportunities for yourself as a copywriter.
Start your own group. I am also a mortgage broker, and I created a group where I post content to educate first-time homebuyers. It’s essentially a holding pond for my buyers that are unable to qualify for a loan.
They may be working on saving for a down payment or working on credit issues. They continually see my posts and I keep their dream of home ownership alive so when they are ready for a loan, I’m top of mind.
Target marketers or businesses in your niche that you’d like to work with. Invite them to join your Facebook group. Post examples of how your copy helped increase revenue for a business, your client testimonials, or hyperlinks to your other landing pages.
According to Apollotechnical.com, “80% of professionals find networking essential to their career success, almost 100% believe the face-to-face meetings build stronger long-term relationships, and 42% want to network more often.”
The stats don’t lie… give it a shot and see if networking can work for you. It has for me.
