If you’re looking for a job in freelance writing, being a good writer may not be enough. In order to really succeed and make a name for yourself in your field, you’re going to have to up your game.
How do you do that? By becoming the kind of writer who can take the bull by the horns and give your clients advice on the best ways to approach their content management. If this idea makes you nervous, don’t let it. It’s really not that hard to master world class content marketing. You’ve already got the writing ability – all you have to do now is incorporate these 5 crucial tips to success.
- Ensure your client has a plan of action. Far too many companies hire content writers without even identifying their goals. This makes your job hard and leaves you open to the possibility of being blamed for any failures. You can prevent this from happening by insisting that all of your clients have well thought-out marketing strategies. This includes knowing who the audience is, establishing SEO parameters, and creating lists for topics they want you to write about.
- Develop a blog with regularly scheduled publication dates. Often, business owners overlook the value of having a blog. Some simply skip over it, believing their product or services isn’t right for blogging. In fact, everything is game for blogging – from companies who sell soap products to businesses that offer cloud storage. All things can be written about and expanded upon. It may take a really good writer to help a business owner come up with some interesting ideas, which is where you come in.
- Suggest interviews. If you are a writer and you’re working with a small business owner to come up with a list of content topics, consider doing a series of interviews with various people in the company. Readers love to learn about the people behind products and services, and the reality is that everyone has an interesting story to tell.
- Answer the customer’s questions. One of the keys to good internet marketing is engaging the customer base. When you do that, you make customers feel valued and you give a personable face to the company you’re writing for. Take a look at your client’s policy of soliciting customer feedback, but don’t stop there. Suggest your client develops a plan to personally address each and every inquiry, compliment, or complaint publicly. This can not only be used as fodder for future blogs, but it’ll also go a long way towards engaging customers. The more you’re able to do that with content, the more successful your clients will be – and the more they’ll associate that success with you.
- Incorporate a call to action in every article, blog post, and block of web content that you write. Taking a look around at the various blogs and articles that populate the vast reaches of cyberspace, you’d be surprised to discover just how many business entities leave this critical part out. If your client wants their customer to take a specific action, that action must be spelled out for them – whether it’s telling a reader to “click here to make a purchase” or “go here to sign up for our free newsletter.” Always include a call to action in every piece of content you write.
Sometimes, the difference between finding work as a freelance writer and being in high demand is your ability to know what your clients will require of you. Professionals with web design careers are often required to know every aspect of online marketing, and content writers are no different. By putting the above practices to work, you can make yourself indispensible to your clients.
For more information on improving your skills as a freelance writer, or to be put into contact with companies looking for talented content developers, visit artisantalent.com. Artisan represents a broad variety of freelance professionals, including writers, marketing specialists, graphic designers, and web developers. Contact us today to learn more.
Vince F is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.