A Complete Case Study
If you’re looking to make a big marketing push this year, you’re in the right place. Maybe you’re tired of answering job board ads for freelance writers and filling out forms that hundreds of other writers are filling out, too.
Or maybe you’re tired of “not knowing what to do,” when it comes to your own marketing.
My results from 2024 are proof that a big marketing push with an intentional strategy can yield great results. I overhauled my inbound and outbound strategies and got laser-focused on my marketing.
The result? More than 115 leads for both long-term retainer projects, as well as one-off projects.
Allow me to share my step-by-step process with you. Remember, this is not rocket science. It’s a strategy you can implement to get the same results I did. It’s simple… but it does take a little diligence.
Step 1: Elevate your brand visuals.
In this first step, focus on the visuals of your brand — the elements you use when designing marketing assets like social media graphics, carousels, or your LinkedIn banner and website.
These visual elements play a bigger role than you might realize.
Your brand affects your prospect’s initial impression of you. That perception then builds over time to create trust.
1. Brand colors
Each color incites a particular emotion. (This article talks more about how colors affect emotion.) Spend some time thinking about the values you prioritize and practice in your business and the emotions you want your clients to feel toward your brand. Choose three brand colors and note down their corresponding HTML color codes, so you have them handy when designing your marketing assets.
2. Brand fonts
Each font communicates a personality. Read this article and find the right fonts to reflect how you show up in business. Are you humorous, witty, straightforward, professional, or classy?
3. Your headshots
As a solopreneur, you’re the face of your brand. If your headshots are more than six months old, it’s time to get new ones. Professional headshots are crucial to building a polished and professional image.
Here’s how I went from looking like a rookie to a business owner on LinkedIn. The “before” picture is a selfie I clicked at a cafe, and it was my headshot for four years! Don’t be like me.
Step 2: Elevate your positioning and messaging.
Now that you’ve sorted out what your brand looks like, it’s time to focus on what it says. The next crucial step is zeroing in on the positioning and messaging you’ll use to make your brand stand out.
Your positioning is who you are, what you do, for whom, and why they should care.
Here’s mine:
Freelance B2B Tech Long-Form Writer for AI, IoT, Web3, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, and AIOps companies. I write long-form content that hits the sweet spot between your audience’s pain points, product features/benefits, and competitive positioning.
Your messaging builds on your positioning to answer questions like:
- Why should prospects trust you? What proof of results can you show?
- Why are your services important right now?
- How do you achieve the desired goal for your clients? What does your process look like?
- How do you work with clients? What does the engagement look like?
Your positioning and messaging become the foundation of your LinkedIn profile, website, and marketing. But this is not a one-time activity.
Your positioning will evolve as your business does. You’ll change the services you offer, the kind of clients you work with, the skills you bring to the table, and more. Each time that happens, you’ll update your positioning statement. But that shouldn’t stop you from doing your best to land on a positioning statement that works for you right now.
Elevating your messaging also means intentionally posting on LinkedIn. Stop reacting to the noise about AI. Don’t get sucked into complaints or rants about the economy.
Instead, build an intentional content strategy around your services and write lead-generating LinkedIn posts that talk directly to your ideal prospects and build trust in your services. Start by creating a simple editorial calendar.
Step 3: Post consistently on LinkedIn.
It’s hard to go from feeling confused about what to do on LInkedIn to becoming a consistent presence on the platform. And it’s easy to be confused, because there’s a lot of conflicting advice about LinkedIn marketing!
You have a business to run. So, to help you achieve a consistent-posting habit, I created a free guide full of tried and tested strategies that have worked for freelance writers like you: Find Your Ideal Clients on LinkedIn — A Mythbuster and Kickstarter Guide for Freelance Writers and Copywriters. It will help you shift your mindset away from the pesky myths that hold you back, and give you the first steps to take to begin attracting your clients on LinkedIn.
Nothing helps with consistency more than clarity, so read the guide to get clear on the best strategy for you.
Step 4: Balance inbound and outbound marketing.
Freelance writers often ask me whether they should focus on inbound or outbound. I say, “Both. Always.”
When you reach out to prospects, they don’t usually immediately hop on a call and sign the dotted line. Instead, they’re more likely to accept your connection request and stay in touch until they need your services. I’ve had clients convert after as long as two years of consistent follow-ups.
Picture this: An outbound prospect connects with you and starts seeing your content. By the time they’re ready with a project, they only need to discuss the details, because they already know how you work and are convinced you’re the right person for them. Wouldn’t that be great?
This is what your content can do for you — work behind the scenes to build trust in your services.
So, elevate your LinkedIn content. Post consistently. And reach out to ideal-fit prospects every week. Both are crucial marketing strategies.
Step 5: Assess and make changes.
Implement your marketing strategy for three months, then assess the results.
- How many leads did you receive?
- Out of those, how many were inbound vs. outbound?
- What is the quality of your leads?
- What are your conversion rates?
- And most importantly, is your marketing sustainable for you? Or, did you over-commit? If so, reduce your monthly marketing volume and focus on improving the quality of your marketing.
Follow this step-by-step plan to generate high-quality leads from LinkedIn. The second half of 2025 can be your big marketing push, if you focus on this strategy and execute it consistently. The results will follow!
