6 in 6 Archives - Page 3 of 5

6-in-6 Freelance Copywriter Report – 7 Months

October 19, 2016 by Tanya Brody 8 Comments

Phew! The exciting life of a freelance copywriter! This week is crazy. I just left CONVERTED, the Leadpages conference in Minneapolis, MN. As I write this, I’m on a plane bound for Florida, where I will attend AWAI’s Bootcamp and Job Fair. Two conferences in the same week. Insane. (That’s me, surrounded by two of the Jeffs who work for Leadpages, BTW.)

I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t enjoy attending these conferences. I get to visit with friends, and meet new potential clients. My sincere hope is to have at least 4 new clients by the end of October, thanks to this whirlwind tour.

I’ve spent a lot of time prepping for both of these conferences over the last couple of weeks. I figured the smart thing to do was to put together a “virtual portfolio.” I put that in quotes because I didn’t put up a website or subscribe to a site that lets me put up my samples.

Instead, I used the tools that I use regularly as a freelance copywriter. That way I can show prospective clients what I can do to grow their businesses and get new customers.

If you want to see what I put together, text the word BOOTCAMP16 to 44222. (44222 is a text short code. Type that number into the area of your text message app where you’d normally put someone’s phone number.)

For those of you who are wondering about this cool texting system, it’s called a Leaddigit. It’s part of the Leadpages software system and it’s awesome!

Once you text the “unique identifier” (BOOTCAMP16) to the short code (44222) you’ll get a text asking you for your email address. As soon as you enter your email address and hit “send,” you’re automatically added to my email list. It’s a great way to collect leads anywhere people have their cell phones.

I’m using it at both conferences to get new clients. It’s a very effective tool. It helps me stand out in a sea of other freelance copywriters and business people.

Speaking of new clients, I’m very pleased and excited to tell you that two new clients have joined my roster.

The first one is a start-up tech company called Inkit. They’re changing the way companies send direct mail. (For those of you who don’t know, direct mail is the term for all of those postcards, letters, catalogs and other advertisements that show up in your mailbox.)

The simple description is: they’re making it cheaper, faster and easier for businesses of all sizes, from mom-and-pop shops to major corporations to send direct mail. Click here to find out more about Inkit.

Or, if you’d like to see the email promotion sequence I put together for them to promote them at AWAI’s Bootcamp, text BOOTCAMPMAIL to 44222. (I’m going to a direct mail copywriting conference. I figured they were a perfect fit to promote.)

My second new client is Medical Moguls. Dr. Draion Burch, AKA Dr. Drai, is a celebrity doctor. He’s now teaching other medical professionals how to monetize their knowledge and skills, while giving their current patients better care. Click here to find out more about Medical Moguls.

I would like to make it clear that I haven’t written anything on either of these sites yet. I just started with both of these clients in the last couple of weeks. But I’m sure you’ll see my virtual fingerprints on the digital assets of both of these companies soon.

In the meantime, I’m keeping up with current projects, promoting myself to new clients and living the dream. I’m getting closer to my goal of $6000 net a month every day. I’ll be over the moon when I can tell you I’ve made it happen.

As always, thanks for following along on this crazy, wonderful journey to become a successful freelance copywriter.

6-in-6 Freelance Copywriter Progress Report – 6 Months

September 21, 2016 by Tanya Brody 4 Comments

Good heavens! I was so excited by the video post I wrote last week, I totally forgot to write my monthly freelance copywriter update.

So here we are at the sixth month since I started this blog and this process of becoming a full-time freelance copywriter. It’s been a very interesting journey so far. (The clovers both came from my yard, they’re for luck.)

Note, I say “so far.” I expect this to be a long journey, one that I sincerely hope will last for years. I expect these posts to morph into something else as my career progresses.

For now, I can honestly say, I haven’t reached my goal. And that’s okay.

This freelance copywriter thing is a journey. As noble and exciting as my goal of reaching the point where I was earning $6000 a month in 6 months was, it’s not how things turned out. The nice thing about goals is, they’re something you strive for. If you don’t reach them, you keep striving. When you do, you set another goal.

So I’ll keep striving to reach my goal.

The good thing is, it’s becoming more realistic. I’m getting more contacts from potential clients. I have a meeting with one today. Part of that is because I’ve passed the final tests and become a Leadpages Conversion Marketing Certified Expert. I’m listed in their directory now and I’ve had several potential clients contact me through there.

I’m also getting better at marketing myself as a freelance copywriter. I swear, that’s one of the hardest things to do. I’m great at promoting other people’s businesses, but talking about myself feels…weird. I feel like tooting my own horn is inappropriate. It’s not. I love being a freelance copywriter and I’m really good at it. So I’ll keep working on that.

I’m working on projects for current clients and some of those may become regular work. (At least, that’s my goal for them. These clients could use the help so they can run their businesses and not worry about their marketing.)

I’m reaching out to new potential clients through these blog posts and with two new landing pages. One is a free report offering 5 simple copywriting tricks that will engage your customers and get them to buy. The other talks about how a landing page can get you more customers and grow your business. (Yes, I linked to both of them. Please feel free to share.)

I’m attending 2 conferences in one week, because I’m insane. One is the Leadpages conference, CONVERTED, the other is a conference for freelance copywriters, AWAI’s Bootcamp and Job Fair. I expect to make more potential client contacts there as well, and to convert some of those folks into clients.

Despite the fact that I haven’t reached my goal, I’m not upset. I’m quite happy. I may not be where I wanted to be by this time, but I am making money doing what I love. My business is growing, I’m getting new clients and learning lots along the way.

If you’re traveling along this same path with me, I hope you’re not discouraged if you don’t meet your goals. Instead, I hope you keep striving to meet those goals and when you do, you get to celebrate, just like I will when I meet mine.

As always, thank you for following along on my journey. Please do comment below. I love to hear from you about what you think of my progress and how you’re doing on your own journey.

Cheers,
Tanya

6-in-6 Freelance Copywriter Report – 5 Months

August 16, 2016 by Tanya Brody Leave a Comment

Sometimes, your business is like a garden.

You’ve tilled the soil; you’ve amended it so it’s got lots of nutrients to feed the plants. You’ve planted all the seeds and seedlings. You tend your garden regularly so it doesn’t get over-run with weeds.

That doesn’t mean your garden will produce right away. Sure, some plants will deliver sooner than others. But gardening is about patience. It’s about nurturing, watering and feeding your garden so it grows healthy vegetables and beautiful flowers.

My freelance copywriter business feels a lot like my garden right now.

I see lots of potential meals in my garden, but they’re not quite ripe yet. And some of them may get eaten by other critters. I bring in a small harvest fairly regularly, so I’m enjoying my garden. But it’s not producing the way I want it to.

In my freelance copywriter business, I have lots of potential projects on the horizon, but I don’t have signed contracts yet. I have lots of ideas on how to make my business grow, but implementing them will take time. Probably more time than I really want them to take.

So right now, I’m nurturing my business. I’m making it healthier and more robust.

I’m taking classes and going through courses so I’ve got the skills to deal with whatever my clients need from me. (And I’m an information junkie, so I’m having fun.)

I’m working on my own marketing so more clients can find me. (FYI, I just put up a Facebook page for my business last week. I wrote a blog post about it too.)

I’m following up with current clients and directly seeking out new business.

I’m setting up a better schedule for my own work so I make sure it actually gets done.

I’m finding new ways to offer my services to potential clients.

I’m working on making some parts of my marketing system “evergreen” so they keep bringing in business without my having to spend a lot of time on them.

In short, I’m planting seeds, weeding and fertilizing my business. I want it to grow and thrive, so I have to put in the work, and I have to be patient.

Being patient is the hardest part.

I want to taste the fruits of my labor now! That’s half the fun of running your own business (and of gardening.) But I know that as the season progresses, my garden will continue to grow and I’ll be able to harvest all of my hard work. Fortunately for me, my freelance copywriter business can grow year-round, unlike my garden.

So, here are the things I’ll be doing to grow my business over the next several months.

I am committing to posting a new blog post every Tuesday. I know I’ve been a bit lax about it over the last few months, posting on random days and not posting at all on some weeks. From now on, please look for new blog posts on Tuesdays. Sign up here to be notified of when they’re released.

I will revamp my website a bit so it looks more like a website and less like a blog. The blog area will probably remain the same.

I am offering retainer agreements to 6 clients who need ongoing work done. If you are currently my client, or are interested in becoming a client, and are interested in obtaining one of these slots, please contact me for further details.

I’ll be promoting my landing pages, blog posts and website via social media. Some paid, some free. I expect I’ll document some of those experiences here, so please stay tuned.

I intend to find speaking opportunities in my local area to promote my business and share my knowledge.

Stay tuned for more updates and more blog posts about how the ideas above end up working for me. As always, thanks for following me on this journey as I build my freelance copywriter business.

If you have questions about building your own business or ideas you want me to write about, please post them in the comments.

6-in-6 Freelance Copywriter Report – 4 Months

July 15, 2016 by Tanya Brody Leave a Comment

I’m over halfway on my personally allotted time and I’ll admit I’m worried about making my goal. I have been getting work, and I have been making money. But I haven’t come close to reaching my goal of making $6,000 net per month as a freelance copywriter yet.

Why $6,000 net? For those of you who are new to this blog, my goal is to be able to have $6,000 a month to live on so I can live comfortably, pay for my own health insurance (and health care bills) and put money aside for retirement.

To do this, I need to make $9,000 a month because the government takes about 1/3 of what I bring in for taxes. Yes, yes, go ahead, grumble about the government, I do too. But I’d rather pay the taxes than get fined for not paying them. And I have a good accountant so I should get some of that back.

But I haven’t come close to that goal yet.

I have made $6,000 in a month, but I haven’t achieved that every month.

Yes, I realize that this is a process, and it takes time. Yes, I’m prepared to extend my allotted time, because I know that a goal is something you strive for, not something that makes or breaks you.

But I won’t deny that I’m worried. It’s part of being human.

I do have work coming in, just not as much as I’d like. (So if you need a project done in the next few weeks or months, get on my calendar now.)

I’m not going to starve. I have the weekly unemployment benefits from the CLIMB program coming in, so I can pay my bills. I don’t live extravagantly, so those payments cover most of my expenses and I save everything else.

But I need to change things.

I have enrolled in several online courses, some of which offer certification in their fields. I’ll be finishing up my Leadpages certification and my SEO Copywriting certification in the next few weeks. That will get me listed in each of their directories, which I hope will help.

I’m listed as a freelance copywriter in a few other places, and I’m going to promote those more, so I hope that helps too.

Meanwhile, work is coming in from unexpected sources. A friend mentioned that he had invented a product on Facebook the other day, but admitted he isn’t a marketer. I mentioned that I am a marketer and can help. We’ll be talking today.

Another friend and former colleague may hand off a project she’s working on because she doesn’t have time to do it herself.

And I’m putting together several promotional pieces that should attract attention and get more business in the door.

I have no doubt that I’ll be able to make this freelance copywriter business work. It’s all just a matter of time.

Thanks for sticking with me on this crazy journey. I hope you don’t mind that it may take a little longer than expected.

Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas for me or anyone else running their own business. Who knows, I may take your idea and write a blog post about it.

6 in 6 Freelance Copywriter Report – 3 Months

June 14, 2016 by Tanya Brody 1 Comment

I’m still at it and still solvent. Both of these things are very exciting to me. It means although I’m not progressing as fast as I’d like, I’m successful and I’m making this freelance copywriter thing work.

I’ve finished 2 major contracts and 1 minor contract. I have at least 1 upcoming project and I have several proposals out that just need to be finalized. I’ve also been contacted by 2 more possible clients, so I feel like work will be coming in. I’ll be a lot happier when everything is in writing and I’m working on whatever’s next.

I’ve discovered a few things about myself in the past 3 months:

I’m more inclined to work on a client’s project than my own projects, like marketing. This is good, because clients pay me to get their work done. However, it does mean my own business is growing more slowly than I’d like.

I’ll put off writing my own blog posts to do other things. This is bad because it means I’m not keeping up a “regular conversation” with all of you. I need to get better at this.

I really love what I do as a freelance copywriter! I enjoy going from one subject to another. I love learning about new things. New writing techniques, new marketing ideas, new subjects, new products, I find all of it fascinating.

I love focusing on my work. I am the sort of person who will get going on a project and look up 5 hours later to say “Oh, I should eat something.” I try to be careful of this, but I love being “in the zone” so I stay there whenever possible.

Even though I’ve been a freelancer before, I regularly gain a new appreciation for all of the stuff that goes into running a business.

In the last couple of months, I’ve investigated time tracking software, bookkeeping software, memberships to various organizations, as well as several educational programs. I’ve sat through webinars on new products to help my freelance copywriter business. I’ve even purchased or tried a few of those products. I’ve rejected a lot more.

I think one of the hardest things about being a business owner is the day-to-day “running the business” stuff. I think many of us go into our own businesses with grandiose ideas of what it will be like to “be in charge of our own fate.” It’s all very exciting, until you remember someone has to take care of invoices and pay the taxes.

So as a fellow business owner, I would encourage you to remember the day-to-day stuff, as well as the fun stuff. For me, the fun stuff is writing my clients’ projects. But I also enjoy doing my own marketing, when I make time for it.

The day-to-day stuff is remembering to turn on my work timer so I’m keeping track of my hours. Or remembering to make out the invoice so I can get paid. It’s figuring out how many hours it will really take me to complete a client project, not just how many I think it will take.

If you can’t do the day-to-day stuff very well, maybe it’s time to delegate some of that to someone else. I don’t think I’m at that point yet, but I expect I will be soon.

So, here’s to our growing businesses. May they continue to thrive. And may we be able to get all the work done, including the day-to-day stuff.

I’m off to do the day-to-day stuff. Like pay my taxes.

Where are you with your business? How do you handle the day-to-day parts of running your business? Tell me about it in the comments.