As you can probably imagine, I love reading blogs on a variety of topics including freelance writing, internet marketing, making money online, sports, and many others. The great thing about blogging is that the author is in charge of everything from topic selection to length and much more. Over the years I have found that shorter blog posts are best for me. There are many reasons for this:
1. My readers have told me so. On many occasions I have spoke with readers who have told me that shorter posts are better for many reasons. Not only are they easier and quicker to read, but they get to the point without all the fluff. I know that freelance writers are busy professionals, so I try to stay away from posts that will take too much time to read.
2. They are easier for me to write. Sure, I could go on and on and make each post 1,000 words or more. I know many bloggers who do this, but it is not a style I enjoy. It is easier to write shorter posts, and by doing so I am forced to get my point across in a concise and efficient manner.
An average blog post for this site is between 300 and 400 words. Of course, there are times when I need to say more so they stretch to 500 words or more. To be honest, I don’t think about how long a post will be before getting started. I brainstorm an idea, follow several points that I want to get across, and see where I am at in the end.
Remember, your blog is your blog. As long as you are comfortable with the length of your posts and are giving readers what they ask for, you are doing something right.
Over the years I have found that everybody is different when it comes to how they started their freelance writing career. Some start out part-time, others dive in full-time without thinking twice, and some get so lost that they have a difficult time planning even the most basic of steps.
So what is next for you? As you can imagine, everybody will have a different answer to this question. No matter if you are starting a freelance writing career or already working in this capacity, your vision for the future is sure to be different than the next person.
If you don’t know what to do next you should take a step back to see where you have already been. This should give you a clearer view of where you are headed. You may have a business and marketing plan in place and be ready to act on it. But another person may have neither, and it is obvious that they need to take care of the planning process before doing anything else.
To advance your career you should always be asking yourself what is next. Not only what is next, but what move makes the most sense. When you do this you can be rest assured that each step you take is going to move you closer to your overall goals.
Success as a freelance writer is based largely on the decisions that you make. If you take a wrong step you will have to backtrack and start over. This may sound like a big deal, and it can be. But also remember that making mistakes is part of starting a freelance writing career. Just make sure you learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them in the future.Â
No matter what type of business you are running, you need a marketing plan that you can rely on from the start. Contrary to popular belief, this is true for freelance writers. Some freelance writers never put much time and effort into their marketing plan. Unfortunately for them, this is a huge mistake.
The basic steps of creating a freelance writing marketing plan are simple to understand:
1. Realize that it does not have to be long. Some freelance writers never create a plan because they think it has to be 10 pages long and full of information. Believe it or not, a good marketing plan can be one page long as long as it has all the right details.
2. Don’t just put something together. It is one thing to create a marketing plan. It is another entirely to create one that you will actually use. Be sure to put a lot of thought into your marketing plan. If you don’t plan on cold calling, why add it to your plan? This is just going to bog you down.
3. Run it by somebody else. If it all possible show your marketing plan to somebody else and have them give you advice on it. This is something that I concentrate a lot of time on with members of my freelance writing course. You can ask a family member, friend, or fellow freelance writer to review your plan. Another set of eyes can go a long way in sharpening the final draft.
These are three basic steps of creating a marketing plan. As a freelance writer they should put you on the right path to developing and utilizing a plan that can better your career.
