Hey Writer, Scribe, Influencer!

My office is a mess. If you recall, we built a nice outdoor catio for our two kittys last summer. While my guys were pounding nails, I took a few days to Marie Condo the Filbert Publishing’s World Headquarters. 😛

With temps dropping, the felines don’t get to enjoy the lovely outdoors as much. Hence, they moved inside… into my office! So, my once clutter free work space is now littered with cat tubes, a large cat tree, a dog bed (for the 19 year old Mini-Pin), and (just to class up the joint), a collapsible cat house. Sigh.

My dear husband offered to build a portable wall to obscure the chaotic view when I record podcasts. I declined the offer. Who needs even more stuff to manage?

So, if you check out the Notes from Minnesota Podcast, just ignore all the animal action behind me. Or not. After all, the kitties are pretty awesome…

Talk later!

Beth 🙂

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Who wants to market smart?

If you need thorough, hard core, no fluff info on making a living writing; resources to help make the journey fun; tips to shortcut some processes; and (of course) a bit of biz gossip… check out this link.

Most of all, this is top-notch, timely information; timeless techniques that support the core activities every writer must utilize to keep the coffers healthy.

What? You haven’t joined us yet? Get the details here.

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The Secret Equation to Successful Freelancing

Once you wrap your mind around the concept that freelancing isn’t necessarily difficult… it’s just dang daily… building your biz becomes exponentially easier.

All you have to do is implement a few questions into your routine.

How many queries do you want to send out every single work day without fail? And yes, I still snail mail a set number of queries daily. Note: I don’t send mail on Sundays or Mondays. Letters mailed on Saturday will hit your recipient’s desk on Tuesday… a very good mail day. But with many freelancers focusing on online prospecting, that leaves a nice void for some of us old school marketers to utilize snail mail. 😛

Online, I’m currently experimenting with a social media calendar. Looks cool. I’ll let you know how that little project goes…

Never forget to tend to your ads. Online ads can rock (or not) depending on how you set ‘em up. I have an entire issue of The Creative Entrepreneur Newsletter dedicated to simplifying how a paid advertising campaign should look… for now.

So, what’s the top secret formula? Here it is:

Consistent marketing = consistent work/sales

Once you get your marketing under control, imagine how you’ll be drenched in work, sales, and inquiries if even a portion of these advertising efforts hit pay dirt. Ah, but we’re not done yet.

Unfortunately, many freelance writers don’t understand the math concerning the process called “prospecting for work.”

I truly believe some freelancers believe that if they foster positive thoughts, craft the perfect query, send it off to the appropriate publication, then boom… the recipient will recognize their genius and hire them.

Doesn’t work that way.

The jaw-dropping reality is this: Direct mailers send millions of letters to prospective buyers each month. In their opinion, if they make the sale three out of one hundred times, the mailing is considered a great success. If you’re a math buff, that would be a
three percent response rate.

Many advertisers experience an even lower rate on their online ads. Because I hang out with so many marketers, I’m privy to the latest information. If you want the unvarnished truth here it is.

Response rates are falling. Click rates (as well as postal rates) are rising. Last year, advertisers reduced their expectations. Anywhere between a half and one percent response rate is now considered pretty darn good in the world of print.

From what I hear, online rates still vary wildly due to variables such as audience selection, regions targeted, age, keywords, competition, and such.

Like I said earlier, this topic deserves an entire issue of The Creative Entrepreneur. So, for today, I’m keeping it simple…

But, what does all this mean to you? Well, it means that until you send out one hundred queries and/or sales letters, advertising your writing services, you shouldn’t even expect a response. If you do, celebrate hearty. Online, you don’t know if you nailed all the variables until you get a bunch of clicks.

But, you can increase your response rate for everything you write by remembering a couple concepts.

And here’s where we’ll probably start next time.

(If you’re keen to read on, buy me a mocha. Lucky subscribers receive deep details on how to make 2019 the best year ever… fun info to cut the learning curve…)
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You can use any of these articles free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be sure to include this byline:

This article is courtesy of Filbert Publishing. Make your writing sparkle, market smart, repeat. Subscribe to Writing Etc., the free e-mag for freelancers and receive the e-book “Power Queries.” http://filbertpublishing.com

Enjoy!

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