Freelance Writers - Marketing Is Not A Dirty Word - Part 1

I often have the chance to meet new medical writers, and their most frequent concern is that they don't like to/want to/have the money to [insert your choice here] market themselves to prospective clients. In one breath, they admit they hate to market; in the next they lament their lack of projects and, as a result, their limited income.

In our first book I made a statement that if you have the skill to sell yourself and you can string words together to make sentences, you can probably get hired in this industry. I've encountered much of mediocre writers in the business who make an adequate living despite their mediocrity. Why? Because they're experts at merchandising the sizzle since they don't have the steak.

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That doesn't mean that every medical writer--or any writer, for that matter--has to be an expert marketer. Few people I know enjoy pounding the pavement and soliciting work from strangers. But in today's environment, merchandising is no longer limited to merchandising yourself via cold calls and face-to-face networking. Nor does merchandising have to be a high-budget item. Here are some no-cost or low-cost options you can use to establish and later grow your writing business.

SEO MARKETING WORDS

• Websites:  In my opinion, all writers need websites to showcase their skills and backgrounds. At the very least, establish a site that has samples of your work prospective clients can view. Be careful, though, not to put anything on your site that is protected by confidentiality agreements. Some Internet service providers offer websites for free. You can also buy domains for as low as $1.99, with monthly hosting fees as low as $4.99 per month. To attain a fairly high Google page ranking, however, the content on your site must change on a regular basis. If you want to drive people to your site, but can't commit to updating it frequently, consider blogging.
• Blogs:  Blogging is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in a particular niche and also offers an chance to polish your writing skills. WordPress, Blogspot, and Blogger (a Google tool) are popular platforms where you can set up blogs for free. To attract and keep readers, though, you need to blog on a regular basis, about threefold a week, at a minimum. Along with frequent blogging, adding pictures and nontextual interest your blog is other way to increase your Google page ranking.
• Twitter: At this moment, Twitter is the social networking darling. If you're not Twittering, you could be missing out on potential future customers. The challenge of Twitter is to give your following value shortly snippets of no more than 140 characters. I've found the best use of Twitter is to become a filter, updating my following on topics of interest in the field. To get following, you have to follow people. Use the "advanced search" function to find Twitterers in your area of interest, follow them, and comment on their posts. You can find me at http://twitter.com/cyndyandbrian.
• LinkedIn:  What MySpace is to preteens and teens, LinkedIn is to the business world. And like MySpace, it's free. Complete your profile, upload a real picture, and start attractive people to become a connection. But don't stop there. LinkedIn has hundreds of groups. Search out and join those in your areas of interest. I belong to several, including Medical Marketing and Communications, Technical Writers, Content Wrangler, Continuing Medical Education, and several more. After becoming a group member, start a discussion or respond to discussions posted by other members. I've made some great connections this way.

These are just few manoeuvre you can use to increase your exposure. In Part 2 of this series, I'll discuss other social networking and syndication strategies you can use to position yourself as an expert, which could lead to more clients and more work.