How Many More Hoops?
May 18th, 2008Author: Michael SieberI’m sure you all know by now how tough it is to get noticed on the web. If you’re a freelancer whose primary market is the Internet, then there are many hoops you have to jump through in order to stand out.
And it’s only going to get worse as more web users mark their online territory.
I read blogs and articles from other freelancers about how to best market our services on the web. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, Squidoo - the list goes on and on.
Maybe I’m just in one of my moods, or I’m becoming a crank in my old age, but does anyone else out there think that we’re all going to need clones to keep up with all the social marketing so we can just spend our time writing?
What types of social media outlets do you use? Are you getting work from them or do you use them because you think you have to?
Oh gawd, you’ve read my mind. I belong to two social networks, and apparently I’m slacking off. I put my time into my work. I don’t put time into hitting a gazillion sites a day in an attempt to be seen. In general, I’m not sure all these networks are of any great value to a working writer. I’d much rather spend that time networking with actual clients.
Gave you some link love, dude. :))
I agree, Lori. I’m just not convinced that the average client scouts Facebook for writers. I’m sure that there’s a few connections to be made, but I wonder if taking the time to contact potential clients directly wouldn’t be better spent.
Thanks for the link love.
There was a discussion about this at the Weekend Writer’s Cafe at Grow Your Writing Business recently. Although I have joined several social networks because I got invitations, I’m not active in any of them and am resisting invitations to join more. It’s just too distracting.
I received a client from Facebook and Linked In, but I don’t actively use them to promote my business or freelance writing. In fact, I rarely log onto Social networking websites.
Truth is, it’s really hard to find clients from social networks now. I believe it’s because so many softwares have been created to basically spam the living daylights out of social network members so, the same effect that comes with too much advertisements, potential customers get tone deaf.
Quite seriously, blogging and interacting on social networks are ineffective at best. What I HAVE seen work quite well is video blogging on top sites like YouTube. Giving people free writing tips, advice or just simple instructions for improving their current writing can go a long way. And, the more valuable the content you give away, the more value you add to yourself as a freelance copywriter or writer. People naturally assume that you have more to offer than what you’re giving away for free.
That’s actually a market research fact. What it all boils down to is knowing your customer and what they want. Learn their habits and thought patterns. Are they frequent MySpace users? If so, do they view a professional’s profile on MySpace as credible evidence for his expertise? It’s true that social networking is good for business these days. You just have to find out which ones your customers find most useful.
I have to smile when I stumble upon this trend of creating videos to help people learn how to write. Born-to-be writers don’t watch videos hoping to improve their writing skills. They READ, and they WRITE.
But hey, whatever people are fooling themselves over these days… right?
“If I just watch this video, I’ll FINALLY learn the trick to headlines that sell!”
Slapping self in head.