Some of you have asked whether or not a blog is a good marketing tool. In my opinion, the answer to this question is yes. Over the past few months I have received a few good offers through this blog. I am hoping that as ChrisBlogging continues to grow that this becomes more and more the case.
Of course, you need two things in order for your blog to generate leads. First and foremost, you need traffic. In other words, if nobody knows about your blog you will not receive many leads. It took several months of hard work for this blog to reach a decent level of traffic, and even then, it is nowhere close to some of the bigger ones in the industry.
Additionally, your blog should show that you are a capable writer. Most of my posts are far from masterpieces, but that being said, they show that I have a good command of the English language and that I know what I am talking about.
I strongly urge every freelance writer to manage a blog. Even if you don’t write on the topic of “freelance writing†you should still start a blog and contribute to it on a regular basis. This will help you to become a better writer while hopefully drawing in new clients.Â
I have always said that every freelance writer needs to treat their career as a business. Of course, this leads to many questions. One of the most important is whether or not you should spend money on freelance writing related items? These items can include everything from a new computer to a corner desk to memberships that may help advance your career.
There is no easy way to answer this question. The first thing that you must do is consider your income and budget. If you have enough money to buy an item that you need, you will want to consider moving forward. But if you are tight on cash and your income has been slow, you will be better off doing without for the time being.
But before you jump the gun and head to the store, you need to think about two words: want and need. You may want to buy a new computer, but the question is: do you really need one? These two words should come to mind anytime you are thinking of making a large purchase. Even though I earn a decent freelance writing income, I only buy the items that I absolutely need. For instance, I only upgrade my computer when it is absolutely necessary. I purchased my current desktop unit about 18 months ago, and it is my hopes that it stays in good shape for at least another couple years. This doesn’t mean that I cannot afford a new computer, but when it comes down to it, this is not something that I absolutely need.
You should most definitely spend money on freelance writing related items that you need. This is especially true for those of you just joining the industry. It is important to have all the items that you need to give yourself the best chance of early success.
Keep this one tip in mind: when shopping for any item related to your freelance writing career, ask yourself if it is a want or a need. If you absolutely can’t do without an item and have the money on hand, consider moving forward with the purchase.
As a freelance writer, it is not difficult to find excuses that will save you from completing certain tasks. For instance, if you don’t want to cold call it is easy to say that you have no time or that your cell phone has no minutes left. And while there are times when excuses are legitimate, they are few and far between.
Simply put, you want to avoid excuses at all costs. If you always have a reason of why you cannot do something you will find progress hard to come by. And when this happens, there is a good chance that your career will suffer and you will eventually decide that freelance writing is not the path for you.
Every so often I hire a professional to work with me in some capacity. This has been everybody from a designer to a coder and many others. And although I take my time when hiring these people, a few of them have been full of excuses. “I cannot turn in the work when promised because my computer broke.†“I got sick and I won’t be able to complete the job at all.†I have heard many excuses, including these two, time after time. As noted above, there are times when an excuse is needed because of a bad break. But of course, there are some who use every excuse in the book whenever possible; this is what you are trying to avoid.
There are two types of excuses that you may be tempted to use: those that allow you to lie to yourself, and those that you use when dealing with clients. In both cases, you are hurting somebody. In the former, you are not doing your career any favors. With the latter, you are not only hurting yourself but you are also damaging a client relationship.
Excuses can and will hold back your progress as a freelance writer. If you avoid making excuses you will find your career advancing at a nice pace.Â
