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So I bit the bullet, sent off my $36 and applied for membership to the SPJ and my local chapter, Press Club of Long Island. I’d really like to hear from other members and see how to make this membership work best for me. Also looking for any Long Islanders who are members who can give me some info about the meetings and such.
Don’t forget to vote today!
Open question: Do any of you belong to your local press club? If so, what are the benefits? Do you think that it is a helpful for freelancers to become members?
It may be entirely possible that I am the only person who does not Twitter. I am also kind of ashamed to admit why that is. Truth be told, I don’t really get it. I mean I know that it basically lets your friends or those who “follow” you, know what you are up to, but how does that really help me? Socially, it’s a way to let people know quickly and concisely what’s going on, I get that. But why else would a person Twitter?
Let’s discuss:
1. Do you Twitter?
2. If so, what is the purpose of it for you?
3. What should I know about Twitter?
UPDATE: I am now twittering (as an experiment, of course). If you want to follow me click on my Twitter link on the bottom left hand side of this blog, or here.
Regular posting should resume shortly. In the meantime, feel free to check out my new professional website and let me know what you think and any suggestions you might have.
Even while on vacation in beautiful Negril, Jamaica I found time to hit the computer lounge more than once to “check in” with reality.
You already have business cards right? (If not, get some ASAP. They are a cheap and easy self-promotion tool and they make you seem really important!) So why not include them with other things that you mail? For instance, do you sell things on Ebay? If so, stick two cards in the package before you send it off. What about book swapping sites, do you belong to any? How about including a card or two next time you swap away your next book?
I spent some time this weekend working on my marketing packets. So far I am really proud of what I’ve done. I’ve created a page with client testimonials and I’ve created the page with the list of services that I provide. I still need to craft that perfect sales letter, revamp my resume and decide what samples I will include and if I will include a rate sheet as well.
Has anyone created theirs? I’d love it if you could share it with me. I’d like to see what you included and what it looks like. Don’t be afraid to share!
photo courtesy of Jupiter Images
If nothing else, marketing your services as a freelance writer is paramount to being successful. My goal for the next month or so is to actively promote myself and my work to potential clients. I found a helpful list of tips that I will incorporate into my marketing strategy.
My main areas of concentration include:
1. creating my direct mail marketing packet
2. participating in writer’s forums
3. promoting this blog
4. creating a professional website
Have you found any marketing strategies that work well? What about ones that bombed? Do share!
photo courtesy of Jupiter Images
For what it’s worth I registered this blog on Technorati last month and it was originally at # 871,446. I just checked it today and its at # 629,416. Not too shabby. At least this means people are reading it and hopefully we are all learning something together.
happy golden photo courtesy of Jupiter Images
For the longest time I’ve been meaning to create a signature for all my outgoing personal emails that contains a link to this blog. Have I done it? Nope. My excuse is that I’m too busy.
By skipping this small but valuable step, I could be missing out on endless opportunities to promote my work. All because I was too lazy. So for now on, I will include with my signature a link to my writing blog and I want you to do the same thing. This is such an easy way to promote our writing, and you never know who will see it. It just may fall into the hands (or inbox) of a potential client.
As an added bonus, it also makes you come off looking more professional. There’s something about seeing a link after someone’s email signature that screams “take me seriously!”.
The best thing about this promotion method is that once you’ve set it up, you never have to think about it again. It will always appear on any message that you send. It doesn’t get easier than that.
Photo courtesy of Jupiter Images
Word around those who are blog-savvy (present company *me* excluded) is that Technorati is a must-have tool for promoting your self on the web. I’ve joined today and I’m looking forward to seeing how my blog (and thus my reputation) grows.
As of this moment my blog is ranked at # 871,446
