Grow Your Business Through Consistent Marketing

The following is a guest post by Pamela Hilliard Owens, M.Ed.

Now that you have been working your freelance business for a while, you have probably found out what a lot of freelancers already know: there is a difference between the steady paycheck of a “real job” and the “feast or famine” existence that often befalls freelancers. But it doesn’t have to be that way! As a freelancer, you too can have a “steady paycheck”, but it will take steady work on your part in the form of consistently marketing your business.

Many people start the New Year with a resolution “lose weight” and sign up for a gym membership just knowing that they will be there three times a week without fail. We all know what happens, other obligations get in the way, and those regular workouts become less and less frequent. Freelancers often start their businesses the same way: marketing like crazy at the beginning, but then, when there is plenty of work, the marketing efforts become less and less frequent. One day, the freelancers look around and not only are all of their projects completed, but there is nothing in the sales pipeline to replace them!

It is really essential that you consider marketing your freelance business as part of your regular workload. Putting marketing activities on your daily or weekly work calendar will help you to remember to actually do the activities necessary to keep your name out there in the marketplace.

There are many ways to market your business, both through traditional outlets and with social media marketing; and it really depends on your particular freelance business which marketing activities will work best for your situation. But by returning to your initial written marketing plan (you do have a written marketing plan, don’t you?), you can now refine it and expand your activities as necessary.

Whichever marketing activities you choose, make sure that you have a program in place to track how well each different activity is working for you. Remember, consistency is the key—even while you are busy with your present projects. Keeping your pipeline full of prospects will keep your bank account full of client payments.

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After a career of 35+ years in education, collaborative sales and sales management and marketing, Pamela Hilliard Owens, M.Ed. started her own freelance writing and editing business in July of 2008. Her company, Writing It Right for You knows that “It Matters How You Say It”! She work with individuals, graduate and post-graduate students, and businesses throughout the United States, Canada, the Middle East, India, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom on a variety of academic and business writing and editing projects.

Pamela Hilliard Owens specializes in working with graduate students–especially ESL students, anything involving education, ghost-writing and working with authors, writing web content, social media marketing and networking, direct sales, and writing and editing various papers of any length involving research and/or APA citations. She also does affiliate marketing and maintains more than three personal, political and business blogs and guest blogs for several clients around the world.