Notes from Minnesota  

Hey Freelancer! 

Lots of changes taking place here in Minnesota. As of January 1, my latest master plan should be in full swing.

I suppose you're wondering what this means to you.

First, I've shut down the Creative Mindset Community. The first collection's out and slowly, but surely, I'll eventually release a few of these unique writing resources throughout the upcoming year.

Second, if you submitted a question for my upcoming project, KUDOS! I was overwhelmed with responses. Since you submitted to the project, you'll receive a free copy of the project in which your question appears and I'll send you an e-mail notifying you when you can download your copy.

Third, I'm slashing projects right and left. The latest on the chopping block is my coaching services. I'll discontinue doing one-on-one coaching/guidance sessions on December 1. If you have a freelancing and/or marketing question vexing you and you'd like to discuss with someone who's been there, please do so ASAP. As of December 1, coaching is going the way of the dinosaur.

Life is good! I'm thrilled with all the changes I'm making in my writing career. I hope you regularly monitor your success, your goals, and your dreams and take action accordingly.

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  

What Do Successful Writers Do?

The answer may surprise you.

After all, if you're reading this, you probably have read the books, attended the seminars, studied the craft. But if your version of success is still eluding you, it's time for something different.

Real different.

That's exactly what you get when you lay your eyes on my latest resource for freelance writers.

Part nuts and bolts how-to, part inner work, part insider biz secrets, this unique publication blows the lid off the deceptively simple recipe for freelance success.

Find out more here.

Watch Out for Thunderheads

Beth Ann Erickson 

Editor note: This is an excerpt from this.

Know Your Reader

So, are you ready to hop to it? I'll start with a fast story.

This month I attended an incredibly large copywriting conference.

When I attend these events, I watch. I sit back and listen. I become an ultimate observer.

Why do you suppose I do this?

Simple.

Aspiring copywriters comprise a good chunk of my audience. I'd be a fool not to grab the opportunity for some hands on market research.

I mention this because when you're surrounded by your potential readers, you also need to become the ultimate observer. Listen to them. Capture their language. Find out what's going on in their mind.

This is exactly what I was doing.

Interestingly, very few writers/marketers seem to take notice of this all important first step.

In fact, despite the seminar organizer's savvy business sense, they didn't seem to take this first bit of advice to heart.

Just as an example, you're a member of their target audience. Ponder a moment for how you'd react to this situation:

Pretend you forked over two grand to attend three day seminar. You take off time from work and fly to the bottom tip of the US. You pay an arm and a leg for a high class hotel room along with exceedingly over priced food.

You're expecting some first class information, right?

Now, imagine you attend the first seminar (headed by a huge-name guru, by the way) and discover he's forking over precious little information and is instead, launching into a long form upsell.

Yeah. You read right.

Instead of shelling over the information he promised, he's giving you a little taste and then following up with a sales pitch for his latest high-ticket coaching program.

Hmmm....

This is where it gets interesting for someone like me.

I sit in the lobby and listen. As the seminar progresses, the buzz grows.

More big names, more pitches. It's really crazy.

Participants are hissing, complaining, and downright angry.

I quickly realize that if this organization wants repeat customers, they need to listen to existing ones.

But the attendees don't say a word to the organizers, and they remain blissfully unaware of some nasty thunderheads growing on the horizon.

Yet, hints exist. When prompted how many people were there for the first time, at least 90 percent of every person there was a first timer. (And there were at least 300 people there.)

Ninety percent new customers? Not good considering it's far easier to keep an existing customer happy than to snag a new one.

Yeah. Like I said. Thunderheads on the horizon.

And yes. This has everything to do with you and your writing career.

When you're a business owner, you need to watch for those thunderheads. You need to listen to your customer. No matter how successful you become, you always remain hooked with your audience.

This means you hang out where they hang out. You talk with them, connect on a face-to-face level.

Know your readers, take time to find out what they think about you and your company. Know your customers on a deep, intimate level and you'll be better able to communicate with them.

(If you want to dig deeper into this, just refer back to last month's CMN where I discussed the concept of Shadows.)

Keep your eyes open.

Now we're getting into some nuts and bolts of marketing...

Always keep one eye peeled for potential promotion opportunities.

If you find a zine that looks interesting, contact the owner and pitch an article idea.

Scour the web looking for complementary sites where you can promote your writing services, product, whatever it is you're wanting to sell.

Dig through magazine racks and find potential markets.

The best places to find markets for your work is to ferret out the masthead of your favorite publications and contact the publishers. Query them.

Check out local ads and if you feel you can improve one of them, draft a fast sales letter and contact the business telling them you'll improve response.

Quick note. One of the worst places to find markets would be in the zines that promote markets. This is because when a publisher randomly lists markets, they artificially flood them with non-targeted queries. That's because many of the writers contacting these publications are totally unsuited to write for that particular market.

I prefer to fish in ponds that don't contain many rods. Once a market has been listed by a popular markets e-mag, I won't contact them until the initial tidal wave of queries has ended.

Thing is, it's easy to find markets if you give it just a little thought and have the chutzpa to research the publication and contact the owners.

Use your intuition to guide you towards opportunities as well. If you listen to your inner voice, keep your eyes open, and constantly keep one eye scanning for new writing opportunities, you will find them.

Benefits, Benefits, Benefits

Whenever you market, always think of your strengths in terms of benefits.

So you can write. That's a feature, just like the color of your hair is a feature. So's your height. Descriptions constitute features.

The trick is to turn your features into benefits.

You can do that by adding the terms “so that” or “and that means...” at the end of each feature.

Here's an example:

I can write (feature) and that means I can effectively communicate any message (benefit) and that means when I write your ads, I can touch your potential customers on a deeper level, making them more apt to buy.

Notice the feature, the benefit and the deeper (or ultimate) benefit.

When you transform features into benefits you up your chances of making the sale. Tap into deeper benefits, and you'll reach your reader/potential customer on an even deeper level.

~~~

Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of numerous titles as well as the Creative Mindset Newsletter. Pick up the first seven copies 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!

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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

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