Notes from Minnesota   

Hey Freelancer!

I'm sooo excited for the upcoming week. The tree's decorated. I've got the first presents wrapped and waiting. I'll be seeing my new niece's first holiday celebration.

Wow. It's nearly too much to grasp.

To make matters even more exciting, 2010 is just around the corner which means it's time to review last year's resolutions/goals.

Which brings me to you.

Where were you hoping you'd find yourself on this date, one year ago? Are you living the life you hoped you'd be living? Are your dreams a reality? Are your goals a tangible reality?

If not, keep reading. I've got some great resources coming up in the next few months to really get you cracking towards the freelance life you've always wanted.

In the mean time, take stock. Ponder your goals. Then get ready for the ride of your life. :)

Have a fabulous (and profitable) week!

Beth :)

P.S. Be sure to check out our best sellers. Here's the link

P.P.S. Share Writing Etc. with your freelance friends by  clicking here.

Beth's Hot Pick of the Week   

Marketing 101 For Writers

Brick and mortar stores have a LOT in common with your freelancing biz. If you haven't heard, a huge majority of new businesses will fail in the first five years. There are reasons for this, and I discuss them in this marketing CD created especially for freelance writers.

I begin with a report on a meeting with a client, their mistakes, their triumphs, and marketing techniques that work with their shoe-string budget.

Here's what I discuss:

• We talk "the nut" and why (and how) you need to keep it low.
• What is the first question you need to ask (and answer) before you take one single step in the freelance pool. It can be boring, but it's exceedingly profitable.
• How discovering your "uniqueness" can set you apart no matter how many "competitors" you face.

It's really sad. Right now, many writers are relying on outside forces, like the "Law of Attraction" or a higher power to do the legwork and bring them success. Now, I'm not saying that a power higher than yourself doesn't influence our reality. But, in this CD, I explain why the Law of Attraction as its currently taught doesn't work. But you can leverage this powerful force to propel you where you want to go.

I also cover:

• The most important activity you will do as a writer to keep your business humming. (Hint: it's not writing.)
• Why the "shot-gun" approach to marketing doesn't work. I'll tell you what works best (plus, it's cheaper).
• What do you sell? Your writing? Nope. Your books? Nope. I'll tell you what you're really selling.
• Your website ought to do this. Period. If it doesn't do this, you're wasting your time online.

Not all of your readers are online. I present a way you can keep in touch with them (for just pennies per month). You'll also discover:

• How often should you contact your customers? Find out on track 3. :)
• Why careful advertising is profitable advertising. Don't waste your marketing efforts by doing this.
• How to harness viral marketing to get more buyers.
• Why you should build a community as well as a readership.
• The best way to get repeat business and income predictability.

This valuable information is available today (Happy Holidays!) as an audio CD for the intro price of $9.95.  

Snag Your Copy Now From CCNow 

Specs: Audio CD, 3 Tracks, 34.14 Minutes Total Running Time

Marketing Your Writing... Part 4

Beth Ann Erickson 

Editor note: This is an excerpt from this. You can check out parts 1 - 3 in the Writing Etc. archives. 

So, you're probably wondering how long your sales pitches need to be.

Definitive answer: it depends.

If you're selling something expensive, you'll have to sell harder (and longer) than if you're selling a ten buck e-book.

If you're using this little formula in a query, it'll run one to maybe two pages; one paragraph for each element (promise, picture, proof, call to action).

If you're selling a thousand dollar product, these four elements can easily eat up eight to up to 24 pages of copy.

It all depends on how detailed you need to get to properly describe and sell the product.

Copywriters like John Carlton will tell you that long copy always outsells short.

I'm a little more careful with “always” statements.

It's my experience that with the right elements in place, you don't always have to pony up the dough to create long copy.

For example, when I offer a twelve dollar book to my Writing Etc. audience, I don't have to create a long form sales letter to sell it. I think that's because...

a. My list knows me. They hear from me twice a month or more and we've established a long term relationship.

b. I've found that super-long copy to sell an inexpensive book can actually depress sales. Either the readers get tired of reading or they can't easily find the “buy” button.

c. Many freelance writers find long-form copy to be too hypey for their tastes. This definitely depresses response.

But as I tell my coaching clients, always test. If you're selling your own books, give long copy a try. Then give shorter copy a whirl. See which sells more and go with it.

Consistency is more powerful than technique

So here we go. Beth's final “woo woo” speech.

You can work forever on marketing. You can drive yourself nuts trying to do it “perfectly.”

Thing is, imperfect action always, and I mean ALWAYS trumps perfect, sporadic marketing.

I've pretty much made every single mistake possible when it comes to marketing. Yet I seem to muddle along just fine.

If the search for perfection is keeping you from launching your career forward, it's time to ride with “good enough” and just hop in the pool.

Action throws open the doors of the Universe

Once you begin your “imperfect” marketing, you'll begin to see magic. Doors will open. Traffic will start flowing towards your site. Ideas'll pop in your head. People who can help you will contact you out of the blue.

But all the magic begins with action.

And if you really want to enjoy pressure-free marketing, ponder these final thoughts. I'll talk more about them in an upcoming issue:

Stay out of debt as much as possible. Don't make unnecessary purchases. This keeps marketing fun rather than a “live or die” necessity.

Keep expenses low. Hold off on the big corner office. This keeps pressure off. If you don't absolutely need that huge influx of cash within a short period of time, you'll live a far happier life.

Stick to basics, especially as the economy tightens. Don't launch into expensive promotions, the least expensive ones are actually the most effective. (We'll talk more about this in the next Creative Mindset).

Always use proven techniques. Experiment with unproven ones if they don't cost much, but make sure you always get the most bang for your buck.

Til next time! -- Beth :)

~~~

This has been an excerpt of the Creative Mindset Newsletter. You can pick up 60+ pages of valuable information like this and instantly download it for under 20 smackers. Here are the details.

~~~

Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of numerous titles as well as Marketing for Writers... Made Easy. Pick up your copy here. She’s also a busy copywriter, speaker, and publisher of Writing Etc., the free e-mag for writers. 

P.S. You can use this article free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be sure to include the entire byline. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Recommend:

Writing For Dollars! The FREE ezine for writers featuring tips, tricks and ideas for selling what you write. Receive the FREE ebook, 83 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WRITING when you subscribe. Email to subscribe@writingfordollars.com -*-

http://www.WritingForDollars.com

~~~

WRITERS FIND MARKETS EASILY - Worldwide Freelance has a NEW fully-searchable Markets Database. Discover writing markets from North America, Europe, Australia and other places. It's free, so come and try it out

here: http://www.worldwidefreelance.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~