Why Every Single Client and Every Single Business Writer Should Always, Always Use a Creative Brief!

In this article you’ll learn the #1 reason writing projects fail… and how to make sure YOU don’t get the blame!

It all boils down to a simple but very powerful planning tool… the Project Brief.

In advertising and marketing agencies they’re called Creative Briefs, and a job doesn’t move forward without one. Sophisticated marketers have learned that certain core questions MUST be answered if the project is to succeed.

Creative Briefs are as individual as the agencies that use them, but they all have points in common. Their goal is to define the project, clearly state the objectives, and provide critical information to the team charged with executing the marketing campaign.

Some of the most important questions to be answered include:

• Who is our audience?
• What lists are we using?
• What is the product’s unique selling proposition (USP)?
• What are the key “pains” of our audience?
• What is our offer?
• What are the objections we’ll need to overcome?
• Who is our competition?

My business-to-business Creative Brief has 33 such questions, and my business-to-consumer has 44. What’s more, I have a Creative Brief specific to my copywriting specialty, the software industry.

I don’t write a word until the Creative Brief is complete and I have all the information I need to write a powerful direct mail package, online promotion, website, or what-have-you. With a properly completed Creative Brief, you the writer will be able to write strong copy that’s supported by other essential elements for success, such as quality lists, a great offer, and a smart strategy.

What If You Don’t Use A Creative Brief?

Be prepared for trouble. Not only have I lived it, but I often help my coaching students out of “hot spots.” Writing without a plan practically ensures you’ll fall into one or more of these traps:

• Your concepts and ideas are off the mark
• You lose money and time in heavy revisions
• You hand in unacceptable work
• Your client’s promotion fails
• You miss that all-important deadline

The benefit of using a Creative Brief for every writing project has been proven thousands of times with successful results. Using a Creative Brief dramatically increases a promotion’s chance for success because both parties (copywriter and client) have crafted a plan that has
considered all of the elements required for success.

A strong Creative Brief also gives the copywriter an opportunity to assess the project’s strengths and weaknesses and make changes. For instance, the writer might argue that the offer needs beefing up. Now’s the time to craft a good offer…not later, when it costs time and money to make the change!

Best of all, a Creative Brief gets the “grunt work” out of the way. With a well-conceived Creative Brief in hand, you can:

• Tackle the project with confidence
• Work quickly, without starts and stops, and earn more
• Enjoy the process instead of stressing out

The Creative Brief is so important to the business freelancer that I usually introduce it to my students within the first two or three  coaching sessions.   If you’re interested in learning how you can take advantage of master-level knowledge, documents, and processes for the business freelancer, you’re invited to visit my Coaching site and ask for a free consultation at  The Copywriters Coach. 

Chris Marlow, all rights reserved

* * * * *

Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the
high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program
and Get Great Clients ezine. Sign up for your free subscription and
get instant downloads of four timely articles on how the right clients
can help you build your most profitable business!

RESOURCES

Books we recommend on Copywriting

Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps: Build the Buzz and Sell the Sizzle (Entrepreneur Magazine)

Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy Every Time

In my experience, B2B companies tend be more “corporate” and less entrepreneurial in their thinking and procedures than B2C companies.  For instance, B2B clients are more likely to use creative briefs, meet deadlines, and pay on time.

The marketing departments of B2B clients also tend to be more sophisticated in their approach to marketing; this is nice for the copywriter who wants to have more say in testing, offers, and other elements of a response campaign.

The more process-driven a marketing department is, the easier it is to get winning promotions, as well as information on the results of promotions, work samples, and other data that helps a copywriter build his business.

Winning a B2B Client

Because B2B clients are by nature more oriented to “professional” processes and thinking, the copywriter who wants to win their business must also appear professional. Here’s what you’ll need in order to successfully approach a mid-size, large, or enterprise-level
B2B client:

• Professional-quality letterhead, envelopes, and business cards are a must. You don’t have to be exotic or fancy; graphic designers need flash and dazzle but copywriters don’t. Don’t fret about design…but do make sure your most basic business tools look professional. If you can’t afford a designer’s help, opt for simple and straightforward.

• Know what you stand for. It pays to create your own unique selling proposition (USP). These days both B2C and B2B clients want to know why you are the best copywriter for them. Once you determine what sets you apart, you should create a tag line that appears on your business cards and letterhead.

For instance, the tagline I helped one of my coaching students create is “Helping your build and maintain profitable long-term customers.”

• Go to a niche market. Related to the advice above, you will do well to go to a niche market for which you have a connection…a point of differentiation that sets you apart. Many experts will tell you that you can find your point of differentiation in your work history. But this is only partly true.

With my coaching students I regularly help them discover what makes them unique and special not only in their work history, but in their passions, and their talents.

For instance, one of my students wanted to use her literary talent to sell her copywriting; so we carved out a unique copywriting market that would appreciate — and benefit from — the power of her written talent for storytelling.

• You must have a Web site. And it had better be professional. A professional Web site for the corporate market must exhibit obvious elements of good lead-generation.

The elements of a good lead-generating Web site are many; however, for the purposes of this primer, I will touch on the most important four elements:

1. Your Web site must have “you” orientation. It’s not about you, it’s about them. Your Home Page headline must acknowledge a pain of your audience, and offer a solution. One example from one of my coaching students: “Are you a software marketer looking for a steadier stream of qualified software leads?”

Contrast this with this “me oriented” Home Page headline of another copywriter: “Bill S., Freelance Advertising Copywriter.” Even the lead-in sentence was me oriented: “I’m an advertising copywriter, which is why my website utterly lacks graphics.”

2. Your Web site must have an offer. Direct marketing without an offer is not direct marketing. If you are a copywriter who wants to make a great income, then you must let your potential clients
know that you will bring in more than you cost.

You offer should in some way convey that. In lead-generation, which is what your freelance business depends on, one of the best offers you can advance is free information in the form of a report, or other valuable information product.

3. Your Web site must have either a very clean, orderly, and simple but sophisticated design…or it must be designed by a graphic designer.

If designed by a direct response designer, your Web site will exhibit signs of high level branding and direct response design “magic”…all of which will impress a B2B audience.

An aside: In my experience, Webmasters are excellent at what they do, but they do not have direct marketing graphic design skills — even though they usually think they do!

If you’re going to build your Web site yourself, take the time to learn about direct response design; otherwise, invest a small sum in having a direct response designer create a design template that you can follow…or have her design the full site herself.

4. Post samples. Samples are the equivalent of showing a portfolio. For new copywriters, this is a tough one. But there are lots of ways to work this to your advantage.

First, understand that no potential client wants to see more than three samples; then understand that you can post a “spec” sample that never mailed; and third, know that you can even post
a sample that was never entirely finished…

If, for instance, you did a critique of a potential client’s campaign, you can post that critique on your Web site — as long as you gained permission to do so.

A note on testimonials:

Yes, they’re important. But I was lazy in this department. Instead, I concentrated on getting response rates and writing case studies of my winners. Not having testimonials on my Web site never hurt me. However, one day I wanted to diversify into coaching and other copywriting related pursuits…and then I became concerned. So my advice to you is to be vigilant about collecting testimonials.

The moment your client says something positive about your work is the moment to say “can I quote that?”

• You must have business processes. Once again, because of their professional nature, B2B companies work best with copywriters who use fee agreements, creative briefs, meet deadlines, and nail down exactly what it is they’re expected to do (right down to the size and fold of the brochure), put it in writing, and then do it.

Many copywriters work without fee agreements, “set in stone” timelines, and like the “handshake” approach to doing business. But not only is this a sure path to disappointment, it’s also a red flag to corporate clients that the copywriter is insecure, a poor business
person, or both. Having a clear process for how you do business will not only make your business more profitable, but it will make the B2B client more confident in your abilities.

• Be a salesman. Whether their marketing is lead-generating or order-generating, B2B clients are very efficient at salesmanship and closing. Don’t shy away from mailing sales letters to them and then following up. They do it, and understand that it’s “just business” to be on the receiving end.

In fact, I’ve found it much easier to market to B2B companies than B2C. If you’ve done a good job of targeting — you’ve created a niche or USP that matches you with your target — then you should enjoy at least a 1% conversion rate to your marketing efforts. B2B companies
are generally accepting and interested in your call, as long as you’ve done your homework to determine why you’re the best copywriter for them.

Chris Marlow, all rights reserved

* * * * *

Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the
high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program
and Get Great Clients ezine. Sign up for your free subscription and
get instant downloads of four timely articles on how the right clients
can help you build your most profitable business!

RESOURCES

Copywriting That Sells High Tech

Start & Run a Copywriting Business

Power Sales Words: How to Write It, Say It And Sell It With Sizzle

Wrong. Small businesses very often don’t have the kind of money a smart and talented consultant deserves to be paid. And very often, a small business doesn’t have the knowledge and resources to implement the consultant’s solution properly, often leading to disappointing results.

And it’s the results you need…it’s the stories about how you solved a problem, what kind of returns you brought, how you cut costs, or increased productivity…these are the things the mid size and big companies want to hear before hiring you.

So the first rule in consulting…whether you’re an IT pro, human resources expert, or copywriter like me… is to start prospecting somewhat higher than the very small business. And yes, you should also have the really big guys on your list, the global enterprises.

Even though your chances of landing the IBMs might be small now, you should have a certain number of enterprise-level names on your list, because if they’re not on your list now, they won’tknow you later when you’re ready for them, and they’re ready for
you.

So the first rule in freelancing to the corporate decision-maker is to target high enough.

Now before we move on, let me point out that there is one very important exception to this rule…

…and that is that you CAN work successfully for small business IF you offer a “full solution.”

For instance, you’ll have a hard time surviving on small business accounts if you ONLY sell copywriting services. However, if you handle all aspects of their marketing…the
strategy, ad buys, project management, creative, production…in other words, if you handle the whole ball of wax as their “marketing agency,” you can make working for small business a
VERY profitable niche.

We’ll go into the realities of working for small business in the upcoming December 2006 issue of the Freelancer’s Business. Bulletin, but for now, let’s finish our focus on what it takes
to land the big accounts.

So if the first rule of landing big accounts is to aim high enough with regards to size, then the second rule is to have a solid “value proposition.” This is a statement that does more
than differentiate you…it also shows, in specific terms, what your value is to the client.

Here’s an example of a value proposition taken from Jill Konrath’s outstanding book, “Selling to Big Companies,” slightly modified…

“After working with [me], one well-known retailer saw a 54 percent increase in sales conversions and a 25 percent increase in order size from their online sales. My clients typically see 40 percent to 150 percent improvements in key operating metrics such as profit margins, rates, and cost savings.”

A strong value proposition like this one, with numbers and benefit statements, has a lot to do with getting you in with the high-quality, high-paying clients.

It’s the metrics that make the difference, and it’s been my experience as a copywriter that gaining strong metrics is easier when you work with companies with sophisticated marketing departments.

And what if you don’t have any metrics you can use in your value proposition?

Simply use your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for now, being
sure to state not only what sets you apart from your
competition, but what it means to the client (your benefit
statement, what you mean to the client, is the most important
part of your USP).

So whatever work you do, and whoever you do it for, one of your primary concerns is getting your hands on the results of your work. I put it right into my fee agreement so the client can’t blow me off later when I come asking for results data and work samples.

Here’s what’s worked well for me for years, and I encourage you to add it to your own contract/fee agreement:

“In order to promote my business it is essential that I receive samples of my work as well as any information on the performance of the work. Your sharing of samples, response rates, and any other measurement data is very important, and you understand that I may use these samples in the promotion of my business. Thank you for your cooperation!”

Ok…so back to the question: “Who lands the big accounts?”

The consultants who work for the high-quality, high-paying clients have a niche market and specialized experience and/or talent in that market.

They may be individuals like my coaching students and me; they may be groups of individuals, such as small consultancies. And they may be mid-size companies or big corporations themselves (think Madison Avenue ad agency).

And they all have their various value propositions. You can get into the big time too IF you know a common problem that your niche market struggles with (low marketing response rates for instance), AND you have the answer to the problem right there in your value proposition:

“I can double your response AND cut your costs.”

Chris Marlow, all rights reserved

* * * * *

Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the
high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program
and Get Great Clients ezine. Sign up for your free subscription and
get instant downloads of four timely articles on how the right clients
can help you build your most profitable business!

RESOURCES

Getting Clients and Keeping Clients for Your Service Business: A 30-day Step-by-step Plan for Building Your Business

The Consultant’s Toolkit: High-Impact Questionnaires, Activities and How-to Guides for Diagnosing and Solving Client Problems

What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business

For freelancers who are interested in earning a very high income, it’s best to look to industries that mail very large quantities; industries that mail very large quantities can do so only if they have a very large pool of buyers.

And consumers are a very large market, especially when it comes to certain widely used products such as face cream, vitamins, and publications.

If a company drops a million pieces whenever they mail, and they’re selling the product in a one-step (mail order), then they would place a very high value on the copywriter who can get results, even if incremental.

This is the arena where you’ll find your most lucrative opportunities… work that can often command mailing royalties and/or bonuses, in addition to a hefty up-front flat rate. Imagine writing a mail order package for $15,000 and then making $20,000 every time it rolls out to 1 million names!

Of course, like practically everything else in life, the big mailers are fewer in number, representing the top of the pyramid; many smaller B2C companies occupy the middle and bottom portions of the pyramid.

Companies in the middle group (mid-size companies) are also great sources of business, paying well if not astronomically so. Small businesses, however, often do not have the funds to pay for professional copywriting, and often don’t understand direct marketing
or the value of copywriting, and must be educated. A common phrase uttered by the experienced copywriter or designer is “I don’t take clients I have to educate.”

The Business-to-Business Market:

Unlike the B2C market, the consumer and prospect universes of businesses are usually much smaller, often occupying niches that can be miniscule indeed. In such cases, all marketing costs are scrutinized with the utmost detail, with each campaign targeting a certain ROI. It’s not uncommon for a large, well-known brand to consider a campaign a success if it brings in 15 or 30 high quality leads. (Sometimes these leads have buying power that reaches into the millions of dollars.)

According to Direct Marketing Association statistics, about two-thirds of the B2B space is lead-generating in nature, with the remaining one third order-generating. A review of my own copywriting samples bears this out.

For the copywriter, the difference between a lead-gen job and a mail order job comes down to money. Since it usually takes more “real estate” (space) to convince someone to “write a check now” than it does to convince someone to “raise her hand” (lead-gen), an order generating job should pay more than a lead-gen job, and sometimes much more.

In terms of pay structure, most B2B companies work on flat rates and would find the idea of “bonuses” and “royalties” foreign. However, I have successfully negotiated pay structures that offer extra pay for goals met.

Dangerous? Absolutely.

But once you have the utmost confidence in your knowledge and talents, and if you trust the company implicitly (a nailed down contract is essential for any job, no matter who they are or what theypay)…then you can do a little “gambling” and increase your potential
for income, to say nothing of “upping the excitement.”

Chris Marlow, all rights reserved

* * * * *

Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the
high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program
and Get Great Clients ezine. Sign up for your free subscription and
get instant downloads of four timely articles on how the right clients
can help you build your most profitable business!

RESOURCES

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters

The Principles of Beautiful Web Design

The Designer’s Guide To Marketing And Pricing: How To Win Clients And What To Charge Them

More than 20 years ago I started my freelance career as a copywriter,
and a miserable career it was.

I studied the craft of copywriting from the few books that then were
available; and as an English major who’d been published in some high
profile journalistic venues, I thought I really could help companies sell
their wares.

But I knew nothing of proper marketing…the need for “niching”…the importance of offers…the techniques for qualifying a prospect so you don’t waste your time.

After five or six hungry years, seeing everyone as a prospect and scraping the bottom of the barrel for clients, I had the good fortune to go to work for Portland, Oregon’s Rosen/Brown Direct (now AlloyRed). Rosen/Brown Direct was a small but high-powered direct response agency that had the respect of direct marketing leaders around the world.

What I learned at Rosen/Brown Direct changed my life, and as you’ll see, it may well change yours too…

Being senior copywriter and “acting” creative director for most of my eight years there — where we churned out award-winning campaign after award-winning campaign — gave me hands-on responsibility for creating results. It was there that I learned exactly what it takes to get a hot lead…and to make a high-ticket sale using just words, pictures, and paper.

When the desire to work for myself became overwhelming again (and office politics unbearable), I left Rosen/Brown. I remember it was on December 2, and my heart was in my throat. I was terrified!

Yes, I knew how marketing works, and yes I had lots of beautiful samples and impressive case studies…but I was still scared. What if my new freelance life resembled my old freelance life? I’d have to go back to work for somebody, and that was as painful as living a “poor” freelance life!

Well, I took a deep breath (I know I did because just writing this sent
me back, and here I am taking deep breaths!)…and I set a goal.

I figured that to be successful, I’d have to earn what I was making at the agency, which at that time was $48,000 gross. To account for health insurance, overhead, etc., I figured I really needed to earn $60,000 per year, which meant that my target needed to be $5,000 per month. And so it was.

I gave myself six months to get up to $5,000 per month, because that’s all I had in savings. If I couldn’t make it in six months, I was dead in the water.

Instantly I turned my attentions to creating a marketing program that offered me the best chance at success. And every day from 8 am to
5 pm I worked my marketing as hard as I worked every day in the
agency.

So did I make it…?

The answer is yes, I did…and in half the time I gave myself!

I broke the $5,000 barrier in just three months…thanks to the bulldog marketing I’d learned in my years at Rosen/Brown Direct.

That was nearly 10 years ago but I still use the marketing tactics and principles I learned at one of the world’s smartest direct response agencies, to get the clients I want to work with, to build new businesses, and to sell my information products online.

And these are the same strategies you can use to get the right kind of clients, increase your income, and build a stronger, healthier, more fun business!

So what are these powerful strategies…marketing strategies that are used by all successful businesses?

Here are the three most important things you need to do if you want cream-of-the-crop clients:

1. You MUST find your niche…a good one that can support your need for high pay, respect, and a relatively easy time of marketing.

My first niche as a copywriter was direct response agencies. After I conquered that niche and wanted better pay and more power, I moved on to copywriting for software.

Today my niche is teaching self-marketing techniques and tactics to freelance marketing consultants — copywriters, graphic designers, project managers, virtual agencies, public relations professionals, strategists, one-man marketing shops, etc.

It would be easy to make a mistake and say, “I teach self-marketing techniques to ALL freelance consultants.” The truth is, that net is too wide. By the same token, many of my coaching clients make the same mistake I made in my early career…seeing everyone as a prospect.

The bottom line is, you’ve got to find the niche that’s right for you. Using a system I created that ensures the right niche is uncovered, I help my coaching clients discover their “perfect” niche in as few as three hours.

And many of the niches are non-mainstream. For instance, I have a retired policeman who will be working as a copywriter in homeland security.

I have a 70-year old writing snappy, on-target copy for the seniors market.

And I have copywriter for whom we literally created a niche market. Her outstanding talent for telling stories led us to find vertical markets like insurance, non-profit, and quite a few others, where stories are powerful selling tools.

2. You MUST compile a list of cream-of-the-crop targets and mail to them on a regular basis.

You can bring business in by networking, public speaking, and a number of other marketing methods, but the only way you can create the client list your want is by handpicking your ideal clients one by one.

Not picking my ideal clients in my early career kept me in a beggar’s mode, always accepting whatever came along (and for whatever price they wanted to pay!).

But when you have a niche market, it makes sense to hone in on them… and when you tell them you specialize in their niche, then the fact that you’re contacting them makes sense to them too, and they’re much more receptive.

So where do you go to find the names you want to put on your list?

I’ve spent the last three years creating a 10-page document of the places to look for high-quality clients, and I’ll share one of my biggest secrets here.

I used to encourage my copywriting and design clients to use the Who’s Mailing What! archive (www.whosmailingwhat.com) to find “known mailers.” But I don’t suggest that anymore because there are certain “marketing pockets” — that because they’re obvious — a lot of new marketing consultants flock to…and Who’s Mailing What! is one of them.

Nightingale Conant, Agora, American Writers & Artists Institute…these are magnets for designers and copywriters, and who needs to go where there’s lots of competition?

Much better to look elsewhere. And one of the best places to look is in business-to-business. Recently I helped one of my coaching clients discover a niche that’s almost untouched by copywriters. I can’t divulge exactly what that niche is, but it’s in alternative health, on the business-to-business side.

So if you know your niche, and your niche sells mostly to consumers, see what you can turn up in the same niche in the B2B side. For this research, I found a great resource on Yahoo.

Go to the Home Page, scroll down to Yahoo Web Directory, click on Business, and then click on Business to Business. You’ll find everything from Aerospace to Writing & Editing. (Note the entry for Conventions and Trade Shows. At this writing there were 1,911! This is another great place to look for B2B prospects.)

It’s during this process that you need to start “qualifying” prospects via their web site…deciding who deserves to be on your list, and who doesn’t. I spend a full session with each of my coaching clients, teaching them what to look for. The best I can offer here is to make sure it looks like the company or organization values marketing.

The copy should be good, the design should be professional, the basics of good marketing should be apparent (do they use their site for lead generation? To sell product or services directly?) What tells you that they’re sophisticated?

Too many marketing consultants are willing to accept work from businesses that don’t pay well, that don’t understand marketing, and that won’t provide the good samples and case studies needed to land the quality clients. And here, size does matter. Avoid small businesses (and sole entrepreneurs) like the plague. Always target mid-size and up, even if you’re just starting out.

3. You MUST have an offer…a free report, white paper, CD, Or some information product that solves a pain of your target audience.

When I started my second freelance career I built a “Direct Response Scorecard” where I listed my projects and their response rates. I figured it would give me credibility and was banking that my agency prospects would like to see it in order to satisfy their curiosity (you know, compare my response rates with theirs).

Today my lead-generating “free offers” are much stronger. The longer I’m in the marketing business, the more clear it is to me that — by far — the most powerful lead-generating offer is the one that solves a pain.

This goes back to understanding your target audience. If you’re a software copywriter for lead-generating companies, and you know that the marketing directors you target struggle with getting high quality leads, then you can write a free report on “How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle With 10 Powerful Techniques Proven to Increase the Quality of Your Leads.”

Rather than calling your prospects and asking them to look at your portfolio, which they’ll resist since it’s a risk to their time, you’re getting in the door by offering something that feeds their self-interest… that solves a pain they’re dealing with.

By the time they’re finished with the report, they can see that you understand their business…their niche…and that you understand proper lead-generation (and therefore you’re not a marketing newbie and safe to work with).

They also see you as an expert, and are more willing to check you out, or even go straight into discussions on a potential job.

There’s also a law of human psychology at work, the law of reciprocation. When you offer someone something of value and they accept it, there’s a psychological desire (or obligation) to reciprocate.

In business-to-business lead generation (which is the marketing method you must use), the offer recipient knows that by accepting the offer, he or she should expect a follow up call.

So make sure you make the best of your opportunity to get in front of your prospect, and write a super-powerful “free information” product that solves one of their primary business pains. Your paper should leave them with the thought that you’re the perfect copywriter to help them with their projects.

Chris Marlow, all rights reserved

* * * * *

Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the
high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program
and Get Great Clients ezine. Sign up for your free subscription and
get instant downloads of four timely articles on how the right clients
can help you build your most profitable business!

RESOURCES

Basics Advertising: Copywriting

Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank

Secrets of a Freelance Writer, Third Edition: How to Make 00,000 a Year or More

In my coaching program I have my students go through an intensive 24-session web/mail marketing program that gets them the high quality leads they need for financial and professional success.

However, as one of my previous students recently reminded me, networking is also a very strong marketing tool.

In fact, it was networking that got me my first clients, and it was direct mail that got me the right clients during the second phase of my freelance career.

Here’s what you need to know about networking…

Rule number one: Avoid the Chamber of Commerce!

Almost every copywriter I know (including me), automatically puts the Chamber of Commerce on the short list of good places to network. And almost every copywriter (myself included), is disappointed with the results.

Now I’m not saying the local Chamber is always a losing proposition; I have one past student who said Chamber networking paid off for him, but 99 percent of the copywriters I talk with agree the businesses found there are just too small (and usually clueless about direct marketing).

What’s more, the Chamber is comprised of many types of business, so niching is not possible.

It is much better to go to events and meetings that focus on marketing, like those of a local Direct Marketing Association and American Marketing Association. This is where you’ll find marketing directors, direct marketers, and marketing-related vendors likely to have a high interest in copywriting services.

When I first started my freelance career I joined the Oregon Direct Marketing Association and took every opportunity I could to get my name known.

I wrote the newsletter (and placed a free ad in the classifieds); I wrote the press releases and I accepted responsibilities for putting on the yearly conference. I even gave a speech on the proper elements of a good sales letter. And I put myself on the board.

All of this led to my first freelance clients: mini-cataloger and manufacturer Stash Tea, LawnPro, a small landscape maintenance firm, and an ad agency that locked me in a tiny room on site, as though to prevent me from making a personal call on their dime. Not the best clients, but it gave me my start.

Over the years, technology has made niche marketing the smart way to go, and for that reason I also highly recommend that you seek groups, organizations, trade shows, and associations that pertain to your niche.

Another one of my current students is niching into a very specialized area of the alternative health field. Within her unique niche she’s found huge trade shows she can attend, and is now making calls to vendors to introduce herself and let them know she’ll be stopping by their booth. The positive response she’s been getting has us both very excited!

Many copywriters find it difficult to network simply because they live remotely. For them, I like to point out online alternatives.

For instance, as a specialist in software who lives in California’s remote Palm Desert (near Palm Springs), I must seek online opportunities to network.

To this end I’ve participated in marketing forums on SoftwareCEO, a popular site for software execs. And I’ve also written articles for its newsletter.

I can report that networking on SoftwareCEO has paid off nicely, as a large chunk of last year’s income came from a client who saw my name there.

Online networking has another plus, and that’s that it’s an especially attractive route to take if you’re shy and have a difficult time of meeting people.

With online networking, all you have to do is answer a question, provide an opinion, or share a resource. It takes just a few minutes, you don’t have to dress up, or travel anywhere, and it doesn’t cost a thing!

In summary, there are many ways for copywriters to market themselves. Public speaking, writing articles, cold calling, running ads, and so on.

But most copywriters have neither the time nor the finances for multiple marketing efforts; most pick one or two methods that appeal to them, and work hard at making them effective.

One thing is sure: I wouldn’t be where I am now without networking. I found my copywriting mentor via networking and he taught me everything he knew.

With networking I made the connections that got me an agency job that changed the course of my career…and my life.

Reflecting on what networking has done for my career, I must wholeheartedly encourage my ambitious freelance friends to take advantage of its benefits.

I’ve often thought that in any business, it’s the people who make things happen. With networking, you can capitalize on this truism. You can develop relationships that last a lifetime…gain experiences that greatly impact your career…and enjoy rewards far beyond your initial imagination.

I encourage you to find networking opportunities, both online and off. Network consistently and I guarantee that when you’re “fat and happy,” you’ll attribute some of your success to networking.

Find out how some twenty year olds are making more money than you every thought possible with Copywriting.

About the Author

Master copywriter and coach Chris Marlow publishes a free ezine for copywriters who want to quickly build a profitable business. Visit:

Freelancers Business Bulletin

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The Proposal Kit will help you write your business proposals in record time … hours, not days.  You will even be able to market your services as a proposal writer!!

Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps: Build the Buzz and Sell the Sizzle (Entrepreneur Magazine)