Where Are Your Freelance Writing Clients Hiding?

From: http://www.endpoint-security.info/2008/09/29/playing-hide-and-seek-with-private-records/

As a freelance writer, sometimes it feels like you’ve been inserted into some kind of freakish, twisted game of hide and go seek.  You’ve been asked to close your eyes and count to ten and now that your eyes are open, you can’t find a single one to drag back to home base. Wisdom moment:  the answer is in the name of the game:  Hide and Go Seek. That’s right. They’ve had plenty of time to hide and now your task as a freelance writer is to go seek.

Here are some places your clients are hiding, and quite a few of them are right under your nose:

• Friends and Family -  Make certain that every family member knows what you do and that each of them have several of your business cards. What’s that you say? You don’t have any business cards? Tsk tsk. Go get some. They are vitally important. Make certain your friends know what you do. These word of mouth referrals are pure gold.
• Twitter and Facebook – How active are you on these sites? Become active. Take the time to see how they work and make them part of your daily routine. Use Facebook to connect with old friends (see the bullet point above). Update your Twitter background with your contact information and boldly announce that you are a freelance writer. I have landed several golden jobs from my relationships on Twitter.
• Rotary and Toastmasters – The original social media groups. Becoming active in Rotary will expose you to dozens of potential clients that are local and have the ability to send your word of mouth advertising through the roof.
• Your place of worship – This is a great place to connect with folks who can spread the word about you and your services. Consider offering to write the newsletter for your church. Gratis goes a long way here, folks.
• Market Bulletin Boards – Get your flyer together and your business cards. Head to local markets and check with the manager about putting a flyer up on the board. You would be amazed by how many people take the time to stop and peruse these little venues.
• Radio Advertising - If you have even a little budget, it is well worth a visit to a local radio station to check out an advertising scheme. It may be a lot less expensive than you think.
• Craigslist – If you’ve not put an ad out on your local Craigslist, you may well be missing out. It’s free and has huge potential. My highest paying freelance gig thus far was landed through an ad on Craigslist.

This list of ideas should get you started. This game of hide and seek can be tough, but it is winnable. It’s important for you to get away from your computer screen, stop worrying exclusively about SEO and go out and press some flesh. It is the equivilant to shouting, “Ollie, ollie, in come free!”

What rocks do YOU turn over to look for clients?

Posted by: George