how to use blogging to fuel your freelance writing business
DESCRIPTION
Are you struggling to get clients as a freelance writer? Do you want to learn how to get more clients? This 29 pages slide gives some insights on how to leverage blogging to grow your client database.TRANSCRIPT
How to Use Bloggingto Fuel Your Freelance Writing Business
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Why Blogging?
When it comes to getting clients,
As a freelance writer, this is probably the least of all methods you want to hear about?Why keep on pouring free content into your blog when you can easily charge for it?
Well, don’t be surprised because you’re not alone!
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Blogging is Underestimated!
When it comes to getting clients, blogging is literally nonexistent in the marketing dictionary of most freelance professionals.
Or at least, according to the 2011 Freelance Industry Report.
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More than 1,200 freelancers were surveyed, and marketing techniques ranged from Word of Mouth (at 23%) to Advertising (at 0.8%), but blogging was
Blogging is Underestimated!3
(at 23%) to Advertising (at 0.8%), but blogging was nowhere to be found.
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BLOGGING reallyworks!
Blogging Really Works!4
*In fact, it has been proven to be more effective than traditional advertising!
*According to data from Hubspot (Feb. 12, 2012), it has been observed that blogging is more effective than Superbowl ads
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Blogging Really Works!This was proven when a company recently invested In Superbowl ads; ads were purchased in excess of $54k, and were seen by 2.8 million viewers.
That exposure only led to an increase in traffic of 11% the day it aired, and no leads at all.
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11% the day it aired, and no leads at all.
Read that again; NO LEADS!
This is with a company that has grown by 583% in less than a year, thanks to blogging and other inbound marketing tactics.
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Why Blogging WorksI’ll soon be going into ways to use blogging to grow your freelance writing business, but I think it’s important to know why it works first.
Here are a few reasons why blogging works
TARGETED PRACTICAL FLEXIBLE SEO-FRIENDLY
How do clients know you’re to be trusted from a one-line ad?
It could be that comprehensive case study, or the short
Search engines crave your blog like a baby craves its mother’s milk.
Unlike the Superbowl, or that popular TV program, not everybody
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from a one-line ad?
By seeing you in action on your blog, they’ll be able to see, feel, and smell what you’re made of.
Deciding to hire you becomes as easy as it can be!
study, or the short opinion post.
No matter what you have in mind, a blog can accommodate it.
craves its mother’s milk.
You write, it is indexed and ranked.
Of course, you won’t get a million visitors from the search engines, but drops of water makes an ocean full.
program, not everybody reads your blog.
But the few that do are those who really want what you have to offer.
It’s better to have 100 targeted readers than a million irrelevant ones.
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Some Noteworthy Examples
“It all happened because I blogged”
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As proof that blogging works, I’ll be sharing some real life examples from freelance writers benefiting from the power of blogging.
Those were the words of veteran freelance writer,Michelle Rafter, whose work has appeared on Inc.com, Reuters, CBSMoneyWatch and a lot of other major publications
According to Michelle, publishing her 500th post was the turning point.
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point.
In her own words:
“Sometime in June 2010, I pushed the “Publish” button on the 500th post on my blog.
“Those 500 blog posts changed my life – by helping me reinvent my career. In two and a half years, I went from stay at home mom to full-time journalist and blogger making a lot more money than I ever did as a staff writer at a major daily newspaper.”
Some Noteworthy Examples
Also on how blogging helped her land freelance writing gigs, here’s what Michelle Rafter has to say:
“By teaching myself to blog, I made myself more marketable by showing perspective clients that in addition to writing news, features and columns, I was proficient in another writing form, no small matter as more publications add contributor-written blogs.
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Writing made her more “marketable”
“By using the blog to showcase my resume, bio and clips, I landed one of the biggest freelance gig of my career, a contract to edit a corporate finance website for American Express that launched in spring 2010. I later learned that prior to contacting me, the website’s project managers vetted me by reviewing my work experience on my blog and in my LinkedIn profile.”
Michelle is one of the very few freelance writers making a big impact thanks to blogging, and you can check out her blog at MichelleRafter.com to learn how she does it!
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Some Noteworthy ExamplesMid 5-Figures in 2011
The next example is my own, Bamidele Onibalusi,personal example .
In 2011 alone I was able to make mid 5-figures in overall freelance writing income thanks to blogging.
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To be more specific, that is a little over $50,000. Just a year after starting as a freelance writer, and with my only source of clients being my blog.
I didn’t send a single pitch, I made no cold calls, and I worked at my own terms.
That’s just how powerful blogging is!
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The reality is that less than 10% of the entire freelance writing population
The Reality10
entire freelance writing population makes 90% of the income.
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The Reality
Being a Great Writer Isn’t Enough
In fact, getting clients isn’t enough; you have to know how to get clients to come to you.
The difference between a successful freelance writer and a struggling one is that the successful
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writer and a struggling one is that the successful freelance writer gets client requests even when he sleeps, thanks to the work he already has in place, while a struggling one hardly gets by bidding for the same job as dozens of others on freelancing portals.
The difference is control; and blogging brings that control.
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Grow Your Freelance Income by Blogging
Creating the Perfect Hire Me PageI’ll be sharing a few tips on how to create the perfect hire me page, that not only sends the right clients your way, but actually scares the peanut spenders.
Maximize your blog’s search engine exposureAccording to Nielson Net Ratings, around 90% of overall web traffic is from search engines. Learn how to use this to your advantage!
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Here are 4 main ways I use blogging to generate clients for my freelance writing business, that you can also start using today!
from search engines. Learn how to use this to your advantage!
How to Use Case Studies to Drive More ClientsCase studies never fail to deliver, and I’ll explain how to leverage them to grow your client database.
Another kind of post that always worksAside from case studies, I’ll be sharing another kind of post can you write onyour blog that will bring in clients years after you wrote it.
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Creating the Perfect Hire Me PageHave a Simple “Disclaimer”
The simple tip that can help you get more High quality clients is to have a disclaimer.
I actually experimented with this and the result was phenomenal.
The hire me page I just put up was resulting
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The hire me page I just put up was resulting in around 20 clients requests every month, but I wasn’t able to work with any of them.
MOST were crappy offers!
I decided to take action by putting a little disclaimer below my hire me page, and the results has since then been stunning.
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My Hire Me Page in Action14
How My Hire Me Page is Converting Since Making this Change
Ever since putting up the disclaimer on my hire me page, conversions reduced to around 1%, but I’ve ended up working with almost every client that contacted me since then.
In fact, the majority of my clients pay half of my fees before I start, and I even got a client pay in whole before I started; and these aren’t just any clients, they are clients paying more than the market rate for my work.
That’s pretty impressive for someone contacting me for the first time, and it goes to prove
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That’s pretty impressive for someone contacting me for the first time, and it goes to prove the power of simple changes.
Here’s the disclaimer exactly as it is on my hire me page:
“I’m pretty selective about who I work with, so only contact me if you want results from your business. If you’re on a very low budget, or are looking for ways to manage your budget, I’m probably not the best fit for you.”
You can see my hire me page in action at http://www.youngprepro.com/services
Search Engines15
According to Nielson Net Ratings, around 90% of overall internet traffic is generated 90% of overall internet traffic is generated by search engines.
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Maximize Your Blog’s Search Engine Exposure16
In other words, the best way to be found online is by positioning your blog to be better ranked in the search engines.
Also, on a personal level, traffic from search engines contribute to around 60% of my freelance writing income, and that’s several tens of thousands of dollars yearly.
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In a nutshell; if you really want to take your freelance writing to the next level, don’t underestimate the power of optimizing your blog for the search engines.
SEO Tips for Freelance Writers
01. Be SpecificBe specific.You’ll be ranked higher if your blog focuses on just one topic, than if you try to write on all.
Here are a few ways to supercharge your SEO; these tips work irrespective of how big or small your blog is.
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02. Headlines......are important.Let your headline contain your main keyword, and make it as appealing as possible.
*Tag pictures you use on your blog with keywords you plan to rank for; aside from this increasing your chances of ranking higher, you’ll also get traffic from image search engines.
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03. Use MultimediaYou’re a writer, but a picture speaks a thousand words.Occasionally use *pictures and videos to convey your message.
04. Guest Blog......for authority blogs in relevant niches.You won’t only get traffic, but also links that help your rankings
Case studies can be very effective in getting clients. Good case studies are not only shared and linked to, but actually demonstrate your expertise to potential clients; increasing your
Use Case Studies18
expertise to potential clients; increasing your chances of getting hired on the spot.
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Use Case StudiesWhat a powerful case study is made up of:
Approach/Solution
ProblemWhat common problem were you or a client facing?
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Approach/SolutionHow did you approach solving this problem, and how is your approach unique from that of others?
ResultsWhat are your results? And why should people pay attention to them
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Once your case study has been published, make sure you include a small note below it telling potential clients that you are available to help them transform their business in the same way.
Use Case Studies20
their business in the same way.
Also, make sure you leave subtle hints in the case study article telling people to hire you.
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Another Kind of Blog Post that Works21
Here’s another kind of article that works for getting clients
The “Ultimate Guide”
The idea is to write the ultimate guide on a subject you’re qualified to teach, and that you want clients to hire you on.
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I’m not talking about 900 words articles, but extensive 3,000 – 4,000 words articleswith videos, graphs, and examples on a subject.
Another Kind of Blog Post that Works 22
Writing the ultimate guide on a subject you’re qualified to talk about will get you links, traffic, and social media shares.
These will lead to better search engine rankings, and eventually more traffic.
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Clients will then come as a result of these.
Another Kind of Blog Post that Works 23
EXAMPLES
To get a better idea of what an “ultimate guide” entails, here are links to two powerful representations of a good “ultimate guide”.
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http://www.youngprepro.com/guest-blogging-guide/
http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/the-backlinking-strategy-that-works/
Getting Results
Here are a few ways to get results from your “ultimate guide”
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Link liberally: To top bloggers, and notify them to spread the word when your post is live.
Mention your services: Hint it a few times in the post without diluting it’s value, and dedicate a paragraph to it below the post.
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value, and dedicate a paragraph to it below the post.
Build links: Go out there, get some quality backlinks, and wait to reap the reward in time.
Don’t stop: Test your content, make a few changes and observe how traffic grows, and how many more clients contact you.
Keep making changes till you’re satisfied with your results.
SUMMARY
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Presentation Summary5 Reasons to Start Blogging to Grow Your Freelancing Business
1. It has been proven to be effective2. It is highly targeted, and as a result increases your
chances of getting hired
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chances of getting hired3. It is practical, and shows clients exactly what
you’re capable of4. It is flexible; you have as much space to determine
your content and emphasize your message5. It is search-engine friendly
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Presentation Summary
1. Fine tune your “hire me” page
v Introduce a disclaimer stating you only want high-quality, high-budget clients
v Stop trying to get every client; only focus on getting the few that matter
4 Ways to Use Blogging to Grow Your Freelance Writing Business
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2. Focus on Increasing Search Engine Exposure
v Be specific
v Use multimedia
v Write compelling, keyword-rich headlines
v Write guest posts to build overall blog authority, and quality links
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Presentation Summary
3. Create great case studies and pitch your service
v Highlight a common problem in the industry you’re targeting (yours or your client’s)
v Explain your approach towards solving that problem
4 Ways to Use Blogging to Grow Your Freelance Writing Business
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v Show the results you got
v Pitch your services and encourage people to hire you for similar results
4. Write “Ultimate Guides” that get shared and linked to
v Link liberally to top bloggers and ask them to spread the word
v Promote your services; subtly in the article, and directly below the article
v Build backlinks to your “ultimate guide” via guest blogging and other means
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Take A Step Further
There’s only so much this slide can take, and as a result I’ve prepared a special report for you explaining my process towards using my blog to fuel my freelance writing business.
In a short report titled “How to Build a Solid Freelance Writing Business with Just a Blog”, I’ll
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A Slide Can Only Take so Much
be going into more details on how to leverage your blog to grow your freelance writing business.
You will also get access to my special newsletterfor freelance writers.
DOWNLOAD NOW AT: HTTP://WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM/BLOGGING-FREELANCE
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