If one of the perks of freelancing is flexibility, there’s also such a thing as too much of a good thing.
Maybe you’ve overbooked yourself. Now you don’t have much wiggle room in case something comes up, like a sick child or an “off” day.
Or maybe you’ve been so busy fulfilling client engagements you’ve neglected your marketing, and now, your workload is lighter than you’d like.
Part of freelance life is the ebb and flow of writing work. Yet, when you get into a marketing habit, you’ll likely enjoy the chance to pick and choose the projects you work on rather than taking everything that comes your way.
Proven Marketing Tactics You Can Make a Habit
Not all of these may make sense for you right now, and that’s okay. Your goal is to find a few to implement this week and identify ones you’ll incorporate into your weekly marketing time.
1. Update Your LinkedIn
If it’s been a while since you reviewed your LinkedIn profile, take 30 minutes and update it with new experiences, writing samples, and even your About section information. You can also request testimonials from former co-workers and clients. Then, make someone’s day by giving them an unexpected testimonial!
2. Be Visible on LinkedIn
What does that mean? It means connecting with former co-workers and clients and making relevant, thoughtful comments on people’s posts. Being social is a great way to build relationships when you do it with purpose.
3. Update Your Portfolio
If you’re like me, it’s easy to get into the rhythm of “accept assignment, hit your deadline, revise if needed, invoice, and move to the next.” Before long, it’s been months since you updated your portfolio. I have no idea how many articles and how much website content I’ve “lost” over the years because I forgot to grab the URLs and turn them into PDFs. Why PDFs? Because websites get updated, and URLs change. The Web is not static, and it’s up to you to save your samples.
Fortunately, Authory is a tool that automatically updates when it discovers your bylines. It will link to the original or save the article within the platform, making it easy to share with potential clients. It saves me so much time!
4. Draft a Letter of Introduction (LOI)
As the name suggests, this is a note meant to serve as an intro from you to a potential client. Keep it short and relevant. “Do you work with freelance writers? I have experience in [relevant experience], and would love to chat if it could be a fit.” Short is better than a long and drawn-out email.
Got experience in multiple niches? Create an LOI for each. I keep mine in Google Docs for easy copying and pasting.
5. Identify People to Send Your Letter of Introduction
For B2B writers, you’ll target people with titles like Head of Content, Content Lead, or Directors of Marketing. You can use LinkedIn’s search function to filter by industry, company size, and location.
You can Google top [industry] in [your city] if you want to target a geographic area. You can also Google [industry] conference 2023 if you want to review a list of exhibitors and reach out to them. If you target start-ups, you can also use tools like AngelList (now WellFound).
6. Send those LOIs!
You can request to connect and “warm” the relationship by commenting and interacting on their comments, or you can send it cold. You can also use a tool like Hunter.io to find their emails and send them that way.
Demonstrating your skills combined with a direct ask is a great way to land new clients and projects.
7. Apply to Freelance Job Ads
If you’re in the habit of checking AWAI’s job board WritersWanted, Problogger, We Work Remotely, LinkedIn’s job posts, etc., you can find some gems. I landed a terrific client in 2020 via a LinkedIn post and worked with them for over 18 months. If you get into the habit of doing this a couple of times a week, you’re bound to find relevant ads.
8. Update Your Writer’s Website
Don’t have one? Go ahead and write your About page, homepage, and Services page this week. Next week, you can set up your site, and you’ll have the content ready to go.
9. Reach Out to Past or Current Clients
Let them know you are available and looking for a new client or project. This works best when you’re specific. “I really enjoyed working with you on the [project], and I have some upcoming availability for [similar] projects. Would you pass my name along if you hear of an opportunity?”
10. Network
When I started my freelance writing business, I went to two to five local networking events a week. Now, I mostly stick to social media groups and virtual coffees to connect and exchange ideas.
I know a new freelance writer who put a call out on LinkedIn to connect with other freelance writers in a monthly call, and she was inundated with messages. I’ve participated in two calls so far, one with four other writers and one with 15 or more. We share ideas and concerns, and you can do the same.
11. Offer to Help
Want to break into a new area, let people know what you do, and spread goodwill? Offer to review another writer’s LOI or offer to share some content ideas with a nonprofit. It only takes five minutes to review an LOI and offer feedback. Or, you could offer to share some content ideas with a friend’s business or a nonprofit.
As you can see, these tasks are a mix of periodic (update your portfolio and website) while others are ongoing (send LOIs.) It is important to embrace using marketing habits because it’s the best way to ensure you have a steady stream of work.
Which of these will you do first?
