The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

I got lucky

Welcome to Week 35 of my adventure as a member of the Marketing Plan Group. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a website copywriter, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning from my group experience.

“Getting lucky” is not a task in my Marketing Calendar.

But “lucky” I did get.

A web designer left me a message a few weeks ago about a possible project he needed content written for -- and I called him back and left him a message.

A few weeks passed, and although I had his name written on my “follow up” list, I kept not calling…

Part of me thought, Ah well, if he didn’t call me back, he must have found someone else. Plus, I wouldn’t want to “pester” him, and goodness forbid I call him twice. Silly, silly. Whenever I admit these things in writing they are clearly worse than they are in my head.

Anyway…yesterday, he called me. And I quoted on a very cool project for him. And he wants us to work together.

Thankfully, this web designer was responsive enough to remember me and call me even though his time frame had changed, but many people would not. And, what if he had left messages for a few designers that day? The ones who did call back a few times may have been the ones to get the job, catching him in his time of need.

I’m sharing this because I got lucky, but luck isn’t likely when it comes to marketing. When we do get lucky, we should learn from it, right? So if there is someone on your “I’ve been meaning to call…” list, go ahead and pick up that phone – because while “getting lucky” can be fun -- you don’t want to have to rely on it when it comes to growing your business.

Did you get lucky? What did you learn?

A business card that stands out

If you network (which I hope you do), and if you’re coming to the Creative Freelancer Conference (which I hope you are), then you need a business card.

While I think a business card is very effective, even when it only includes the basics, sometimes something more unique, edgy, or different can stand out and make you memorable to your prospects and connections.

Do you have a business card?

If not, and you’d like some creative ideas, check out this blog post on Freelance Switch, 37 Unusual Examples of Business Card Design.

P.S. These business cards are highlighted in the Creattica gallery. Creattica is a gallery of great design and inspirational imagery. Anyone can submit their work for consideration and voting on items is open to one and all. The best work is accepted and featured in the gallery which receives thousands of visitors every day.

How far are you from Denver?

We're counting down – only 10 days 'til the Creative Freelancer Conference.

And it’s not too late to attend -- especially if you’re near Denver! If you can drive there, take the bus there, or even get a last-minute deal on a flight, we know it will be worth your while.

Join us on Friday, June 4th for the Tweet Up. It’s open to all (even if you’re not attending the conference). Details here: http://twtvite.com/summertweetupdenver

Save $25 and enter to win a free iPad and 2011 conference registration too! Details here: http://www.creativefreelancerconference.com/twittercontest/

All CFC attendees get a free 6-month trial subscription to Creative Business –which includes the incredible newsletter devoted to creatives as well as unlimited phone and email support.

Are you hesitant because you don’t know anyone? Don’t be. Most people come to CFC alone looking to make new connections. Find out more in this video I did with Dyana Valentine.

Are you making money by using freelancers and temps?

In the latest edition of the Creative Business Newsletter, Cameron Foote talks about Profiting from Freelance & Temp Creatives. Here is an excerpt:

Workload and the means to handle it can occasionally get way out of balance, necessitating extra help. But assigning work to outsiders raises possible problems, not the least of which are ensuring quality and profitability.

It could be because you’ve downsized, and business is beginning to pick up again. Or maybe you’re overloaded but unsure how long it will last. Or maybe you want to avoid, or at least delay, going the employee route altogether.

Whatever the reason, work flow is under water, and you’re not ready to hire permanent staff. So you need to hire an outsider to help get things done. But you also can’t afford to lose money or control of quality…

This article covers:

•    Being prepared
•    Where they’ll work
•    Taxing Issues
•    Making Money
•    Controlling Quality
•    Protecting Vital Interests

Also in this edition, The Coming of Age for Electronic Marketing amd What Do You Own? And When Does It Matter? In addition, you will get advice on special rates, retainer overtime, employee pay, valid sign off, forced collaboration, downturn causes, spec response and photo use.

Find out more about the Creative Business Newsletter or sign up here: http://www.creativebusiness.com/

P.S. In addition to way cool networking, know-how, and inspiration – all Creative Freelancer Conference attendees get a free 6-month trial subscription to Creative Business – which includes the incredible newsletter devoted to creatives as well as unlimited phone and email support.

When I tried to get his number...

Welcome to Week 34 of my adventure as a member of the Marketing Plan Group. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a website copywriter, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning from my group experience.

With some prospects, we talk about a price range ahead of time, and then they accept my quote for that price.

With other clients, it’s all a negotiation.

I just got a new job from a former client – and for our last job together – he wouldn’t give in to my persistent questions about budgets or “comfort levels” with price ranges.

When I gave him my estimate, he told me his budget was slightly lower, so I met him there. I felt I had quoted on the high side.

For this project, there was another negotiation. But I half went into the estimate expecting it.

I quoted a number, he suggested that he was more comfortable with another number, and ultimately we met in the middle. I enjoyed the back and forth of it, and when done properly, everyone feels like they get what they want. Works for him, works for me, everybody wins.

One question that arose in my head was this: Would his “budget” have been different depending on my quote. Would his “budget” have been 25% lower than any reasonable number I presented to him?

I also wonder… are we like flea market vendors or antique fair sellers? Should we assume that our first price will be “bargained down” by our prospects?

And how can we spot the negotiators? Are they the ones who simply won’t clue us into their budget beforehand?

Do you have different rates for the “negotiators” than you do for the “accepters”? Should we?

 

Find any gold lately?

I love Will Kenny’s analogy in his article on Freelance Switch, Why Funnel Marketing Doesn’t Work, where he likens marketing to panning for gold.

Marketing and sales are not funneling processes, no matter how visually appealing that image may be. As alluded to above, the process of marketing is one of narrowing the field, of sifting out the undesirable or unpromising candidates, of eliminating the chaff. It is rather like panning for gold, where you wash away a lot of worthless stuff to come up with a few precious nuggets — nuggets you can live off of.

Read the rest of this article here.

Personality over portfolio?

Sometimes, getting the work is more about knowing your market than anything else.

In fact, at the ASPP panel in Boston, we learned that art buyers sometimes choose their vendors based on personality over portfolio, which means you have to focus on the interactions as much as the pictures. That could even mean "friending" them on Facebook!

This is just one of the tidbits from the interview I did with Andrew Fingerman, VP of Marketing at PhotoShelter. Want to know more about how creatives can effectively market themselves (to get the work)?

Listen to the whole interview here: http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/05/photographer-marketing-get-comfortable-with-self-p.html

(Even though we are talking about photographers, the concepts carry over to all creative pros.)

Also, if you’re a photographer in the New York area, join me and Allen Murabayashi, CEO & Co-founder of PhotoShelter, on May 26th, as we present an event for the American Society of Picture Professionals: Don’t be Marketing, Self Promotion & Social Networking.

Make a measurable difference for your business – with e-newsletters

Michael Katz is the master when it comes to e-newsletters, and we had an incredible time yesterday doing our webcast, Email & More: How to Attract Clients with Easy & Effective E-Marketing.

What did we learn about how to create effective e-newsletters that get noticed? So much. But here are a couple of tidbits from our critique of actual designer’s newsletters:

1. It’s important to have a tagline that says what your newsletter is providing, because people who signed up for it may have forgotten.

2. We talked about whether or not you have to be a writer to write a newsletter. Michael made the point that it’s important to write like you talk, not to worry about perfect writing. He says authenticity is the most important aspect of an email newsletter.

It’s not too late to experience this excellent webcast. See it here: http://www.mydesignshop.com/product/email-and-more/

And if you want more from e-newsletter expert, Michael Katz, he’s got a two-part webinar coming up on May 18th and May 21st called Email Marketing Content That Works!

You can also find his e-book, E-Newsletters That Work, in the Marketing Mentor Toolbox, here: http://www.marketing-mentor.com/toolbox/html/enewsletters.html

Are you someone with something to say?

Welcome to Week 33 of my adventure as a member of the Marketing Plan Group. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a website copywriter, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning from my group experience.

This week, with the support of my Marketing Plan Group, I’m moving my focus to getting in front of my market as someone with something to say. Ilise had originally called this “getting in front of our markets as experts” but the word “expert” made me freak out and run for the hills because I’m totally NOT an expert -- so she changed the word for me -- which makes it seem more manageable. (Thanks, Ilise.)

I do realize how ridiculous it is that changing words changes my mindset and makes things less scary, but it does. For example, research calling is so much less frightening than cold calling. Someone with something to say is so much less overwhelming than expert. And making business friends is so much better than networking. I am certainly not an expert. But yes, I suppose I can be someone with something to say… And if I need to change words to trick myself into doing the things I should be doing, then so be it.

Here is a list of some of things we can do to get in front of our markets:

    * Find industry blogs where you can comment and/or submit a guest post
    * Propose your newsletter content in your target market's newsletter
    * Find magazines or web sites you can write articles for
    * Start and/or moderate an online group (on LinkedIn for example)
    * Find events where you can speak to your target market
    * Start a local group of your own (or local chapter of an association)

Do you have anything to add? How have you gotten in front of your market? Any success stories to share?

Want to see our best?

We’ve been blogging for years, and over this time we’ve come out with some pretty helpful posts, nifty ideas, and inspiring topics that really “hit home” with our readers. That’s why we put together this new product, Best of the Blog – Part 1: The Basics. Right now, it’s the “Ridiculous Deal” at the Marketing Mentor Toolbox for only $4.99.

Part 1, the Basics, covers many topics, including:

    * Word-of-mouth ain’t all that!
    * Do what you love…
    * Your work life could be so much easier
    * Does confidence matter?
    * Getting to the real decision maker
    * When is it too late to follow up?
    * Ten-word blurb vs tagline
    * Do your clients fall off their chairs?
    * What to do when you get into overwhelm
    * And more!

More info or purchase here.