[This week’s post is a familiar theme for regular Crucible readers. But as I seem to have attracted a few new subscribers in the last couple of weeks I thought I’d show them what The Copywriter’s Crucible is all about]
With summer behind us it’s time to pack away the sun lounger and get down to business. Everyone is back at work, which means now is a prime time to start trumpeting about your services.
But, as we all know in the writing community, it can be tough to attract clients when the web is saturated with so many writers fighting over the same jobs.
“So how can I stand out from the crowd?†I hear you ask. Well, you can start by considering what additional services you can offer and how you can promote them offline.
After all, businesses are now in need of more content than ever. These days, they need a constant flow of blog posts, emails, newsletters and sales pages to feed their marketing machine.
Clients want internet marketing expertise, as well as words
Instead of offering to write blog posts and press releases consider defining your services as ‘content marketing’ and ‘online PR’ expertise.
When approaching clients, offer to remove the complexity of internet marketing and to show them what they need to be doing to be found on the web.
Rather than restrict your job search to the web, try:
- Promoting yourself with a press release announcing your new copywriting/internet marketing services and article marketing packages
- Send a letter or post card to clients you’d like to work with highlighting the benefits of WordPress and your blogging/content marketing service
- Contact local internet marketing firms to offer SEO copywriting expertise (I’ve head that time spent on site is now part of Google’s algorithm, which means content MUST be useful and well written, rather than just keyword packed)
- If you’re feeling brave, pick up the phone and contact local PR agencies because many are crying out for help with SEO, social media marketing and online PR
These are all skills you can easily teach yourself. And the time you invest in improving your services will make you a more valuable asset to clients, and your income will increase as a result.
Latest posts from bda (another blog I contribute to)
- 8 Vital Website Conversion Tips for Turning Clicks into Sales
- What Someone Should Tell Facebook about using People’s Data
- Why a Lower Adwords Position Can Increase Your Website’s Conversion Rate
- Google Wave – The Ultimate Conversational Marketing Tool?
- Why Does Microsoft Use Word to Render Emails in Outlook?
- 16 Email Marketing Tips
Good advice. I learned a long time ago that I had to be more than a copywriter. If all you do is offer to write copy, you’re a commodity. But if you have expertise to offer along with the copy, you’re an asset.
When first talking with a client, I assure them that I’ll help them craft their promotion from A to Z, think through the offer, work out back end details, analyze results, or anything they need. I tell them “Don’t worry. I’ll do the work and make this easy for you.”