This past week had to be of my most challenging since I started freelancing. My plate has been overflowing with writing projects (that’s the good part) thanks to putting my nose to the grindstone and marketing my you-know-what off. I’m also trying to stay on top of my personal writing projects, make arrangements for my four kids to stay busy and productive this summer (school will be out in just 3 weeks! UGH!). Add to that an unexpected illness and suddenly having to shuffle my work schedule completely around to attend the funeral of a very dear loved one, help host traveling family members and meet client deadlines - I wound up completely exhausted, frazzled and wishing I could get three days of bereavement time off to pull it all back together.
But the show must go on. In hindsight I’m sure I could have delayed a couple of deadlines without much trouble. Thankfully it all worked out and everything’s returned to “normal.”
This summer I’ll be traveling periodically, so I’m in the market for a new laptop that will allow me to keep working without missing a beat. I’ll be looking to expert traveling writers like Yuwanda Black and Jennifer Williamson for much needed survival tips. When I tell friends and family that I’ll be spending some of my travel time working, they think I’m crazy. I have to gently remind them that this is how I pay the bills. Besides, I actually LOVE what I do so if it’s wrong I don’t wanna be right! :)
Showing posts with label freeelance writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freeelance writing. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Value of LinkedIn for Freelance Writers
Yesterday someone in my online writers group inquired about LinkedIn. She asked other writer members of the group, “What do you think? Is it worth it?”
A lot of freelance writers are wary about becoming too involved with social networking. We don’t need anything that takes away from time spent working on our precious projects. Many are learning about the promotional value of sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – when used in moderation.
Most of us have no trouble finding our way around Twitter and Facebook, but consider LinkedIn a whole other animal. I knew Linkedin was worth it when I began receiving inquiries about my services by people who had come across my free profile. Freelance writer Yolander Prinzel reportedly received over $6000 worth of work within four months from LinkedIn, so you tell me if you think that it’s worth it.
If you’re new to LinkedIn, or have no idea what to do with the account you have, here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Present your best foot forward. Create a profile that will impress prospects. They should know exactly what you do and what you can do for them. Make sure to provide links to your website, blog or portfolio.
2. Optimize Your Profile. Optimizing certain keywords (e.g. your name/name of your business, writer, marketing, copywriting, etc.) can give you good search engine results making it easier for prospects to find you online. Even better if you are the top result on LinkedIn when your specialty is searched on the site.
3. Get Recommendations. A recommendation on LinkedIn is like having a testimonial. Anyone who finds your profile will see that you come highly recommended. Make sure they’re relevant and reflect the services you provide.
4. Use Applications to Your Advantage. If you have a Twitter account, you can allow your Tweets to show up on your LinkedIn profile. If you have a Wordpress blog, you can set up the application on your profile to show your most recent blog posts.
5. Contribute to Group Discussions. This is where you can really stand out and reveal your expertise. Linked in has hundreds of groups you can join. It’s a good idea to choose groups that reflect your specialty. For instance if your specialty is in the legal field you can join groups within that industry. Sometimes group members will post questions related to copywriting or marketing. Providing the right answers can get you new clients in no time.
A lot of freelance writers are wary about becoming too involved with social networking. We don’t need anything that takes away from time spent working on our precious projects. Many are learning about the promotional value of sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – when used in moderation.
Most of us have no trouble finding our way around Twitter and Facebook, but consider LinkedIn a whole other animal. I knew Linkedin was worth it when I began receiving inquiries about my services by people who had come across my free profile. Freelance writer Yolander Prinzel reportedly received over $6000 worth of work within four months from LinkedIn, so you tell me if you think that it’s worth it.
If you’re new to LinkedIn, or have no idea what to do with the account you have, here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Present your best foot forward. Create a profile that will impress prospects. They should know exactly what you do and what you can do for them. Make sure to provide links to your website, blog or portfolio.
2. Optimize Your Profile. Optimizing certain keywords (e.g. your name/name of your business, writer, marketing, copywriting, etc.) can give you good search engine results making it easier for prospects to find you online. Even better if you are the top result on LinkedIn when your specialty is searched on the site.
3. Get Recommendations. A recommendation on LinkedIn is like having a testimonial. Anyone who finds your profile will see that you come highly recommended. Make sure they’re relevant and reflect the services you provide.
4. Use Applications to Your Advantage. If you have a Twitter account, you can allow your Tweets to show up on your LinkedIn profile. If you have a Wordpress blog, you can set up the application on your profile to show your most recent blog posts.
5. Contribute to Group Discussions. This is where you can really stand out and reveal your expertise. Linked in has hundreds of groups you can join. It’s a good idea to choose groups that reflect your specialty. For instance if your specialty is in the legal field you can join groups within that industry. Sometimes group members will post questions related to copywriting or marketing. Providing the right answers can get you new clients in no time.
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