A willingness to work hard will give you an advantage.You’ll learn more… make more connections… finish more projects… and earn more money.
But hard work alone isn’t necessarily enough to lead to success. After all, you could go out in your backyard and dig holes all day. It would be hard work, but it wouldn’t get you very far.
Your hard work needs to be paired with smart choices about the projects you pursue and the skills you learn.
Focus on the Right Clients
Not every client is created equal. Some clients are well-meaning, but just don’t have the budget to pay you what you’re worth. Some clients are shopping on price alone… and in this case, aren’t willing to pay you a fair rate. Other clients would really like to be doing the writing themselves and won’t fully trust your expertise.
But then there are the clients who understand all the ways a good writer who understands persuasion can help them grow their business. These clients will happily pay you what you ask, trust you, seek your input about the project, and be gracious in providing guidance and feedback.
These clients are going to take you much further for the same amount of work… or less!
Delegate
Not every task that makes it on to your to-do list needs to be there.
If you have the resources, it makes sense for you to delegate the things that are either rote work (like prioritizing emails, researching prospects, or tracking ad performance) or are not your strong suit (like designing a website, developing an app, or laying out an e-book).
When you start earning enough income, start delegating these tasks. Use a virtual assistant for the first batch and hire experts for the second.
Differentiate
There are so many ways a writer can earn a living, and some of them are in very high demand… like writing content, landing pages, or email messages. With high demand comes high competition. And that will lead some writers to decide to charge less, and to work harder to make the same amount of total income.
But you don’t have to make that choice. Instead, you can differentiate the services you offer to better demonstrate your value. For example, if you write email newsletters, you could package your services with editorial planning. Or if you write blog posts and articles, you could offer social media posts, too. Or highlight how you write blogs posts that get conversions, not just traffic.
When you find a way to set yourself apart, you’ll work hard on the right things, and not compromise your value.
Think about how hard you’re working, and then consider… are you working on the right things to get you where you want to be? If not, make some adjustments because hard work will give you the best results when you’re strategic about where you apply it.
In Case You Missed It…
In the world of social media marketing, video is becoming a necessity. Savvy marketers know they need it — and smart copywriters know how to use it to promote their writing business. If you’d like to learn more about how to create engaging videos for your clients or for your own business, give Bonnie Fanning’s latest Social Media column a look.
Do you know how to map out a sales funnel? Once you understand this skill, you’ll be able to help your clients reach their campaign goals… and you’ll be able to line up more email writing work. Both good things! See what goes into planning a sales funnel in this new Email Marketing column from Michele Peterson.
Are you working on naming your business, or thinking about renaming it? In her most recent Reality Blog, Jennifer Ayling talks about her thoughts on changing her business name. And I even weigh in. Give it a read right here.
Mark Your Calendar
October 18: The easiest client to land is the one you’ve already worked with… but only if the project went smoothly and to plan. In this live interview with Pam Foster, she shares tips on how you can make sure you wow your clients and keep them coming back to you with new work. Make sure you join us! Details will be added to the site shortly.
3 Things I Thought You Might Enjoy…
Have you ever wondered how accurate AI detection tools are? Jeff Bullas puts several of the top options through the paces.
LinkedIn can be a powerful place to grow your writing business. See how you can give your visibility a boost.
You don’t always reach your goals on the first attempt. Marie Forleo discusses how to learn from the effort and keep growing.
That’s all for now. Have a great weekend!
