My very first writing client fell into my lap via a conversation with a friend. I told her I was launching a freelance writing business and she said, “I’ll be your first client!”
You can imagine how excited I was!
It was also a testament to the power of telling everyone I knew that I offered freelance writing services for businesses. You never know who’s thinking of hiring a writer.
Which made me think about other ways of marketing my business. Sure, it felt a little — uncomfortable — but I knew self-promotion was essential if I was going to reach my goals.
Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of marketing methods and while some of them had disappointing results (or actually flopped), others have worked out well.
Fortunately, the internet’s made it possible to not only market your business 24/7, but also create a very doable way to find the types of clients you would love to work with and introduce yourself to them.
12 Simple Ways to Market Your Business
Whether you’re just starting out or an experienced freelancer, these simple marketing tasks will help you hone your skills for finding new clients and develop a profitable marketing habit to grow your business.
- Update Your LinkedIn Profile — LinkedIn is a gold mine of opportunity. Prospects spend time there interacting with other businesspeople (which could be you!). They also search for freelance writers there.
If you haven’t already, update your title (what LinkedIn calls your “headline”) to include keyword terms that prospects search for. For example, “Freelance writer for B2B Technology” or whatever you want to specialize in. You have 120 characters, so you can include more than one specialty.
In addition to your “headline,” you’ll want to write a brief summary highlighting your accomplishments. You can add a separate line for any skills you may have like SEO, WordPress, graphic design, etc.
- Add a LinkedIn Portfolio — Did you know that you can upload links to your work on LinkedIn? You can! It only takes a few minutes and gives you another place to showcase your work.
- Add an Email Signature — You may know that you can add a signature below your name but does yours say anything about being a freelance writer? What about the type of writing you do? You can easily add your name and case study writer, along with your website address and phone number. It’s a subtle reminder of who you are and what you do.
- Create a List of Area Businesses That Are Active Online — We live in an online world so you can work with anyone anywhere… but don’t discount the local advantage. While all businesses need content like blogs, case studies, e-books, etc., to attract new prospects and turn them into customers online, many of them like the idea of working with a local person.
- Think About Your Network — Who do you know who works in a business, owns a business, or you worked with in a former position? Send them a friendly email telling them you’ve launched a new venture and are accepting clients. Something like:
“Hi Sally, It was great catching up with you over the holidays {some personal reference if you have one}. I mentioned my freelance writing business writing web copy and blogs for security companies. Here’s a link to my website. If you come across someone who needs a good and reliable writer, I’d appreciate if you’d share my contact info.”
You never know who knows whom! As I mentioned, this approach landed me my very first client.
- Reach Out to Potential Clients — While you may feel awkward about this if you’ve never done it before, I invite you to think about it as being helpful.
For example, maybe I’m a busy marketer and could really use a freelance writer. My in-house writer recently left and now I’m facing a gap. You could show up and offer your help at the exact moment I need someone. (It happens!)
- Find Potential Clients via Content Marketing Agencies — One way to wake up to inbox inquiries is by letting other people do the work. For example, agencies work with clients who need content and then writers to supply that content. To find such agencies, you can google your niche + content marketing agencies or your town + content marketing agencies and find marketing agencies to add to your lists.
- Follow Up with Past Clients — Look back through your client list. Who haven’t you heard from lately? The beginning of the year is a great time to reach out with Happy New Year messages and let them know you’re available for projects. Sometimes all it takes is a gentle reminder!
- Apply for Writing Positions — Direct Response Jobs, and job hunting sites like Indeed and Monster, have writing positions listed. You can also use the search bar of LinkedIn to find current job postings. A lot of them will be full-time, but you can find some part-time or freelance postings too.
- Set Sales Goals — Whether you want an extra $1,000/month on the side or you’re looking to replace a full-time income, you’ll get there faster if you set specific goals and track them like a salesperson would. How many people do you reach out to a week? How targeted is your outreach? How often do you follow up? When you take a business-like approach to your freelance writing business, you’ll find success quicker because you’ll be able to see what’s working and what’s not.
- Join a Community — From Twitter chats to Facebook groups to more structured programs like Circle of Success, participating in a community of like-minded people is a great way to find support and camaraderie.
Other writers share insights on everything from pay rates to celebrating with you when you have a win.
- Do Your Marketing Tasks Daily (Or at Least Weekly) — Set a time and commit to building your list and reaching out to others on a regular basis.
It’s an exciting time to be a freelance writer. There are thousands of companies who need regular content online and you can help them. But they can’t hire you if they don’t know you exist. These 12 marketing methods will help you spread the word. Which one(s) will you put into action today?
