Smart Marketing Idea #2

There is always a need for good writing. Sometimes the challenge is to find out where the markets are. This writer spotted a need and created a niche market for herself with the email below. She received a positive reply and now has a paying client. I think the key word she used was the word "distracted". It pointed out an issue but not in a way that would put the addressee on the defensive. Very smart. What do you think?

February 2005

Dear Mr.

I am a Coquitlam resident who receives your newsletter in the mail every month. I think it’s great that you are providing this service to people in my neighbourhood. While I am impressed that you have taken this initiative, I find myself distracted by some elements of the bulletin.

I am a writer, editor, and designer with a keen eye for detail. I have noticed several typographical errors in the bulletins that may cause problems in the communication of your message. For example, in the most recent one, which I received today, the email address on the back is not the same one listed on the front page [one had a typo]. This could result in clients becoming frustrated trying to contact you about their needs.

If you are interested perhaps we can meet in your office or over coffee to discuss ways that I can help you to communicate your message through your mail-out newsletter. I would like to offer my editing and design services for your newsletter and mail-out bulletin.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Ashley Mikulik
Writer, Editor, and Communications Consultant
a_mikulik@uniserve.com.

Smart Marketing Idea #1

A professional colleague of mine sent out the following self-explanatory email to her friends and colleagues. It's a smart marketing idea because her message is so simple - informing her own networking circle what she is up to. It does so in a straight forward no BS style. Soft and subtle. The best kind of marketing.


Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2005 12:55:57 -0800
To:
From: "Carla S. Shore"
Subject: Tooting my own horn...
Cc:

Hello!

As you may already know, I've recently returned to full time freelancing, having finished my part-time contract with the federal government earlier this month. I am beginning now to knuckle down to do "business development", or letting people know I am again available for additional contract work. While it's not my favourite part of being self-employed, I know it's a necessary evil.

So on that note, I thought you might be interested in seeing the article I wrote in the current issue of Vancouver Lifestyles magazine. It's about three high tech companies whose businesses focus on the internet, but who are doing it differently than the dotcom failures of years past. Since the mag is not on-line at this time, I've scanned the article and posted it on my website so you can read it if you choose. Go to http://cshore.ca/article.html and you can download an eight-page PDF of the piece.

I hope 2005 has begun well for you. I'm expecting to be in touch in a more personal way soon as I make my way through the networking rituals, but in the meantime, if anyone asks if you know a good PR consultant, writer or speech writer (I've hung out that shingle now too, by the way), feel free to pass on my name or direct them to my website at http://www.cshore.ca .

Best regards,

Carla Shore
--

C-Shore Communications
www.cshore.ca

Dear Colin.....

I am new to the world of freelance writing. I have written some short articles, research papers, stories, newsletters and a small series of brochures. Nothing really big yet… but I will get there! I have taken courses on writing and editing and communications and now have my ‘Business Writing, Public Relations and Marketing Communications’ certificate. I like to think that I know what I am in for as I attempt to carve a living out of writing. I am ready to begin.

And this is when I face what I had already suspected might be the difficult part of beginning a freelance writing career: setting fees, getting paid, and actually making money at this crazy writing thing.

I applied for a short-term job writing website content for a small business owner. The man who advertised the position – we will call him Joe – contacted me and we talked on the phone. He asked me how much I would charge. I explained that I need to know more – make that at least something! – about the job before I could quote a fee. Joe told me he needed content for his business website. I asked what his business is, and whether he needs someone to edit or rewrite existing content, or begin from scratch and research, write and edit all of the content. He still just wanted a fee. Again I explained: I need to know more about the job before I could quote a fee!

Joe skipped right to the point. He told me that while he could see that I am a professional and that he would really like for me to do the writing for his website, he can’t afford to pay a writer very much because after all he also has to pay for a web designer, a Flash designer, and a graphic artist. Clearly the actual words were deemed as less important and were on the bottom of the priority and funding list! I knew that this was not a job I was interested in, but for practice, I threw out a fee. I said it would be 500$ for a complete edit and rewrite, including some research, of a website. I didn’t even know how much content is included in the website. Joe reiterated that he couldn’t afford to spend much on the written content. And here I was thinking I was quoting too low!

We acknowledged that we were not ‘right’ for each other for this work and we ended the conversation politely. No big deal.

It’s not that I blame Joe for wanting to be economical and not spend a ton of money on his company website. But this experience – and it is not the first one like this – showed me once again that setting fees and sticking to those fees and actually getting paid those fees is perhaps trickier than the actual writing part! And I am still not sure how I should have assessed this job in order to quote a reasonable fee, or even what a reasonable fee for such a job is.

So at least I know that this is a skill I need to focus on and learn well. Onwards!

Six Billion and Counting

Heard an interesting factoid the other day. No idea whether it is true or not. But the news was that there are now more web pages out there in the universe than there are people in the world. No if you are wondering how you might position yourself on the Internet, that's a bit of sobering news.

I guess when the number of web pages exceeds the number of McBurgers sold we might as well all fold up our electronic tents and go home.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

I did a consult the other day with someone who wanted to be a speech writer. He had the usual questions that ran the gamut of how to find clients, whether you needed to have written a lot of speeches to sell yourself as a speech writer, and about how much you could realistically expect to make. These were not unreasonable questions at first glance, but since he was coming from a corporate 9-5 background, he was putting the cart before the horse. He failed to ask the more pertinent questions. What is the day/week/life in the life of a freelance speech writer like? What personality traits should you have to make it?
There is something else more important. If you are thinking of leaving the dark but comfortable side of the corporate world and planning to jump to the freelance side, then you need to look yourself in the mirror and ask "what can I do that I feel truly, madly, deeply about?". If you can't do that you are in for a very rough time.

Freelancing is not for the faint hearted. You may go days on end with no billable hours. You need an understanding partner who has a life of his/her own since, if you are not working in fact, you are working in your head. Finding balance is difficult because you get hooked on the adrenaline of work.

At times you may be scared. But you will never be bored. That's a pretty good deal.

So remember. Truly, madly, deeply. Accept no substitutes.