One of the joys of freelancing is that you get to do everything. But this omnipotence means you can’t hate the sales team for not bringing in new clients, because you are the sales team.
You can’t have a spat with Maureen in accounts because she hasn’t sorted your expenses, because you are Maureen in accounts. You do (or don’t do) everything. You’re the CEO, the General Manager, the Finance Director, the mail boy and the tea maker. You are it.
And that’s great if you have the requisite skills. If you don’t, it’s worth buying a few books, taking evening classes or interrogating friends and colleagues to get some idea of what these missing colleagues would normally do.
I’m a freelance copywriter, so marketing is what I do, and it’s what I want to discuss in this article. If you’re a freelancer of any kind, you probably need to market yourself.
If you don’t, you may run out of work, or never find much in the first place. Marketing is essential to show people that you exist and that you’re available and valuable.
Spend some time learning about marketing. Ask other freelancers how they market themselves, and copy their most successful strategies. If you know a copywriter, ask them to critique your marketing copy before you print or publish anything. Read copywriting and marketing blogs, and get acquainted with basic principles of advertising. A little knowledge goes a long way.
If you don’t learn about marketing you may never know where you’re going wrong, or what you could do better. Put time and energy into your marketing, because this is what will sustain your freelance existence.
By Leif Kendall, a freelance web copywriter
Image by Jeff the Trojan ~ cc
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