Bestselling author and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green announces a Workshop for those starting or growing an online business. Weekend Marketer Live! Is based on the concepts from The Weekend Marketer: Say Goodbye to the ’9 to 5’, Build an Online Business, and Live the Life You Love. This is the twelfth event of this type hosted by Green over the past decade.
Now more than ever it’s important to surround yourself with influencers in your industry if you want to succeed online. This is how you build your own following, how you learn about the latest trends and stay up to date, earn more social shares and visibility, build natural links, and more. Even if you don’t “know” some of the top online marketers, engaging with them by commenting on posts and learning new tips can be invaluable to your online strategy.
If you’re not sure where to start and who to start searching for, it can help to break down some of their expertise into categories and sort out who you should follow that way. Below gives you a starting point with 23 of the top thought leaders for online marketers to get to “know” today:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Rand Fishkin. Wizard of Moz.
It sounds like a “ludicrous” title as Fishkin will tell you, but he is the founder and former CEO of the company, formerly SEOMoz. He is also the man behind the popular “Whiteboard” Friday posts that help to teach SEOs about complicated topics through video and whiteboard examples. He’s one of the best when it comes to cracking tough SEO questions and breaking down complicated topics. He built Moz from the ground-up in 2004 as he began posting data reports and creating tools, and it has blown up to be one of the most well respected blogs and SEO tools in the industry.
Mike Blumenthals. Author of Understanding Google My Business & Local Search.
There is a lot of competition when it comes to thought leaders in the SEO category, but Blumenthals made the list because of his extensive knowledge on local SEO and his ability to stay in that niche and dig deep. He is the owner of the popular blog Understanding Google My Business & Local Search, and what’s cool about Blumenthals is the fact that he keeps the blog in-house. In other words, when you want to hear what he has to say about SEO, you can count on his blog covering his writing and thoughts and his writing only. In addition to this blog, he also founded Local U, a conference series to learn more about search marketing, and co-founded GetFiveStars.com, which helps small businesses create a customer feedback and review management strategy.
Adam Heitzman. Co-Founder and Managing Partner of HigherVisibility.
Heitzman is Managing Partner of the nationally recognized SEO agency HigherVisibility. For over 10 years Heitzman has been a presence on the SEO scene before starting his own agency in 2008. Having worked with him before, it’s clear that he is passionate about what he does and is filled with extensive SEO knowledge and how the industry has changed over the years (and why it’s so important). He has worked with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies and was even recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 SEO Guru to know in 2015, so he’s one not to miss.
Eric Enge. Founder and CEO of Stone Temple Consulting.
If you’re even a little bit familiar with some of the SEO blogs out there, you’ve likely seen Enge’s writing. Although he is the founder of his own consulting firm, he makes it a point to get out there in the community and contribute articles on hot topics in the SEO world. He has had a 30+ year career in SEO, is the author of The Art of SEO, and regularly speaks at some of the top industry conferences such as Pubcon, ClickZ Live, and more.
Glen Gabe. President of G-Squared Interactive.
If you look at Gabe’s history it’s no wonder he started his own agency. He has held leadership positions both in-house and at a global interactive agency, was a Vice President at MRM Worldwide, led all of the aspects of SEO for yellowbook.com (a website containing nearly 20 million webpages), and blogs over at The Internet Marketing Drive, which is G-Squared Interactive’s blog. He is also a featured author in the Google Analytics Help Center, so he knows his stuff thanks to his 20+ years experience. His writing is clear and engaging, so he makes it easy to learn from him.
PPC/SEM
Larry Kim. Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Wordstream.
Kim is constantly speaking at the top PPC and SEM events and has been out in the community since founding Wordstream in 2007. He’s one of the most approachable thought leaders on this list and really seems to “get” the importance of connecting with your community online. The Wordstream blog is stellar and consistently features Kim’s own pieces, and he is the author of 4 award winning books on software development. If you head over to his author bio page for Wordstream, you can see a list of all the guest blogs he’s ever written.
Jennifer Slegg. Founder and Editor of The SEM Post.
Slegg is another thought leader on the list who frequently speaks at different SEM and PPC events like Pubcon, but it’s really her skills as an author and writer that make her stand out. Her blog includes a few outside contributors, but she remains the main writer, and you can find her writings on places like Search Engine Watch and Moz almost as frequently. She says that she’s “definitely a writer at heart” and it shows with her content-rich websites and engaging articles. If you’re someone that learns best through writing, she is the thought leader to follow.
Matt Umbro. Founder of PPCChat.
Although PPCChat might be what Umbro is most known for, he actually holds a more recent position as Senior Account Manager of Community at Hanapin Marketing. He specializes in e-commerce PPC and client relations and oversees content production for PPC Hero. In other words, although he is well versed in all aspects of online marketing he is definitely a thought leader that likes to focus on PPC specifically. As for his company, PPCChat is a weekly Twitter chat where industry specialists can interact to discuss various PPC topics using the hashtag #PPCChat. Give it a try and you’ll easily see why he’s a thought leader.
Content Marketing
Brian Clark. CEO and Founder of Content Marketing Institute.
Content Marketing Institute paved the way for content marketing, and even won the 2014 John Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts over the years. He’s on top of his game and definitely puts a focus on content in everything he does. Content Marketing Institute (CMI) also produces Content Marketing World, a premier international event for content marketing. It is now the largest content marketing event in the world, so this guy is arguably the top thought leader in the industry when talking about content specific.
Lee Odden. CEO of TopRank Marketing.
Odden tops the list as one of the most experienced since starting working in web development and online marketing in the late 1990s. His company currently consults Fortune 1000 B2B companies like Dell and LinkedIn. Still, even with such high profile clients, Odden manages to share his expertise on the TopRank blog and continues to put out some of the best content in the content marketing space. He is a big believe in the power and importance of content for online success, stating on his website that “Content isn’t King, it’s the Kingdom,” and it shows in his detailed writings.
Social Media
Mike Stelzner. CEO and Founder of Social Media Examiner.
Stelzner’s company was founded in 2009 and grew to over 435,000 email subscribers in just a few years thanks to the site’s comprehensive articles, expert interviews, reviews, and overall quality content, all published daily. Social Media Examiner also hosts a Social Media success Summit where more than 3300 marketers from around the world can learn online as well as Social Media Marketing World, an in-person event that hosts more than 3000 marketers. Naturally, all of the content centers around social media topics.
Dan Zarrella. Social Media Scientist at DanZarrella.com.
Zarrella coins himself the “original Social Media Scientist” and that title has stuck on major blogs like HubSpot, where he really started his career and worked for over 6 years. At HubSpot he was able to help the company grow from a startup to a major public company. Since last January, however, DanZarrella has been his main website (which he built up over 10 years), although his projects extend far beyond. He is the author of four social media books, has a webinar series called “Science of…” that has drawn upwards of 30,000 registrants, and holds the Guinness World Record for the largest webinar ever.
Gary Vaynerchuk. CEO of Vayner Media.
Although Vaynerchuk could probably be considered a thought leader in a lot of categories, it’s social media that makes him unique. He is all about “the hustle” and it shows with his massive community of social followers. His company is a social-first digital shop that focuses on storytelling across multiple platforms, gaining insight through micro-content to help build campaigns and drive results. VaynerMedia is one of the only companies you’ll find that uses this approach so aggressively, and it works, so he’s certainly and innovator. Just for fun, he was also an angel investor early on to many major social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr (as well as other companies like Uber and Birchbox).
Affiliate Marketing
Zac Johnson. President and CEO of MoneyReign Inc.
Johnson is also the man behind popular blogs bloggingtips.com and zacjohnson.com, and MoneyReign has been in the affiliate marketing space since 2000. His claim to fame: He is a self-taught entrepreneur who started making money online as a teenager. Fast-forward a few years, and on his blog you can read his story of “How I Made $860,538.38 Profit in 4 Months!” Now a seven-figure business, Johnson reviews affiliate networks to help small businesses understand where they could be making more money.
John Chow. Founder and CEO of JohnChow.com.
Chow has had JohnChow.com as well as his company TTZ Media Inc. both running for the last 10 years and has seen huge success with his affiliate marketing practices and his willingness to write about what works for him. He actually took his blog from zero to making $40,000 per month in just two years, and his blog still remains one of the biggest blogs on the Internet. With countless awards, he’ll be a thought leader in the affiliate marketing space for years to come.
Jeremy Shoemaker. President of ShoeMoney Media Group Inc.
Shoemaker is a huge proponent of sharing his own stories and struggles to help you better understand affiliate marketing, and that’s part of what makes him so successful and a thought leader in the industry. After all, who doesn’t want to hear from someone who used to sell washers and dryers and Sears and now runs a multimillion-dollar company? He calls himself “Shoemoney” and is famous for running one of the highest-trafficked websites in the world, Shoemoney.com. He later launched successful businesses AuctionAds, FreeSEOReport, and Fighters.com
Analytics
Brian Clifton. Director of Data Insights at Search Integration.
Clifton was actually Google’s first Head of Web Analytics for Europe back in 2005 for three years, but he’s actually known as an author. Students and professionals actually use his third edition of “Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics” worldwide. Despite the fact that he has his PhD in Physical & Theoretical Chemistry, he found his calling with Search Integration, a company that specializes in helping organizations implement “metrics understanding” using Google Analytics and other tools.
Avinash Kaushik. Chief Education Officer & Co-Founder of Market Motive Inc.
Kaushik’s company provides online education and certification for different online marketing categories, Analytics being a big one, and he is also the Digital Marketing Evangelist for Google. He runs a blog called Occam’s Razor and is an author of many successful Analytics books, both known for being easy to understand and able to put a real-world application alongside all of his teachings. You’ll also see his face on other authoritative Analytics blogs around the web offering guest articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, advice, and more.
Annie Cushing. Founder of Annielytics.
Cushing lives and breathes Analytics, and lucky for us she shares her knowledge all around the web. Although Annielytics may be her main project, so is a regular Analytics contributor to many online marketing websites such as Search Engine Land and MarketingLand. According to Cushing, she “makes data sexy,” and we couldn’t agree more. Her writings are engaging, easy to apply to your own company, and they’re everywhere. She was also the Senior SEO at the popular SEER Interactive Agency, so she has experience working with Analytics in an SEO context, and it shows through her writings.
Email Marketing
Justine Jordan. Vice President of Marketing at Litmus.
Jordan is a frequent speaker at interactive and digital marketing events, and according to her LinkedIn page she says, “my passion for educating and inspiring fellow marketers to create better email is relatable, actionable, and contagious.” This comes through whenever she writes for the Litmus blog, and in fact she was even the recipient of the 2015 Email Marketing Thought Leader of the Year award.
Tink Taylor. Founder and President of dotMailer.
Taylor is a thought leader that focuses on email marketing made easy, but without skimping on quality. In other words, he’s been famously quoted saying, “dotMailer’s mission is to provide Nasa technology with a Fisher Price interface to marketers in the marketing automation space.” He has worked with major brands like BBC and Shell and has over 17 years experience in digital communications.
Jordie Van Rijn. Founder and Chief of Email Vendor Selection.
Rijn’s company was founded back in 2009 before there were any quality sources of information for those interested in email marketing. Today, the company has a list of over 300 email service providers to help make things easy for small business owners. As for Rijn, he’s a thought leader because he’s great about getting out in the community and offering interviews to Forbes and videos to email marketing companies, and of course he is an avid writer on his company’s blog. Even as an independent consultant, he was also voted one of the world’s top 50 email marketing influencers by Vocus.
IBM is seeking an Email Marketer to join the Cloud Data Services (CDS) team. CDS is a fast-growing startup within IBM with a mission to transform how developers and data science professionals use data and analytic tools. This role will work with our campaign and product teams to create and deploy elegant email marketing campaigns that engage new prospects and nurture existing customers. Our ideal candidate is results-driven and creative with excellent attention to detail. This person should have a head for data, a love of email, and a willingness to work independently and collaborate on team projects.
What you’ll do:
Location: Austin, TX or Boston, MA
I’m looking for someone who wants to learn affiliate marketing who can help me build landing pages and creatives for my campaigns. You need to know HTML, CSS, and Javascript. You’ll also need basic Photoshop image manipulation and creative copywriting skills.
You need to have a great mindset and move fast when tasks are assigned. If you have an understanding of affiliate marketing and tracking using Voluum, Prosper 202, or CPV Labs, that’s a huge plus.
We’ll discuss compensation when we talk over the phone or on a Skype call. I am willing to pay per task/project or let you participate in some of the profits of the campaigns.
I would ultimately like to have someone who has the skill sets and aptitude to handle research and spying, creative design, and campaign optimization. Obviously the rewards would be higher for this type of responsibility.
You must be available during the daytime hours and I start work early, usually 5:00 a.m. PST. If you have a day job this won’t work. Web developers, SEO’s, and other freelancers who work from home are ideal candidates.
—
The pitch: Quit your job! Ditch the grind! Travel for free!
The truth: There’s probably less than a dozen bloggers who make a full-time income off of their blog alone. The rest of us are freelancing, writing, consulting, designing, you name it.
◊♦◊
What it boils down to is: You can quit your (traditional) job and travel the world, if you so desire. But if that is what you want, you are going to have to work for it.
If you are a brave soul who thinks they may want to try their hand at freelancing but has no idea where to begin. This guide is for you.
I honestly sort of fell into freelancing when I needed money and a way to figure out how to make it. I did a lot of Google searches and stumbled across Elance, Upwork (formerly oDesk), and Guru. They seemed easy to navigate and promised loads of job opportunities for talented individuals. I was excited to get started and signed up for all three.
I immediately found Upwork to be the most straightforward. I built a profile and advertised my services. I knew with my English background I could be well-suited to writing, editing, and proofreading. Having written for Two Drifters for some time, I also included the category of travel writing. I wrote a bio and made myself sound as friendly, capable and least desperate as possible. Upwork asked me to set an hourly rate for myself. $12/hour? I thought. At least it was more than I was making in gift basket hell.
I didn’t just register in the writing and editing categories, however. I applied to jobs in transcription, voice over, and data entry, among the many other options on Upwork. It wasn’t terribly hard to get my first few jobs. My rates were reasonable enough and I took the time to compose a nice cover letter with each application (a key point).
Then I made a series of videos explaining how to use a new smartphone app for preschool teachers… Oy. |
I was awarded a first task as a transcriptionist. Then I made a series of videos explaining how to use a new smartphone app for preschool teachers. That was an interesting experience. Oy.
But I began to get jobs writing about travel and often doing “copywriting” which was a new thing for me. Copywriting is essentially writing for business, marketing, or sales purposes. For me, this has grown to include website content, blogs for businesses, marketing emails, landing pages, and product descriptions, but can include other tasks as well. Over time, I increased my rates little by little and began to look outside of the Upwork platform for work.
The first thing to consider is what you’ll offer customers (and/or the world). For a business to succeed, it generally needs to fill a void.
…choosing a market that was already quite “tapped”, such as copywriting, seemed like the right choice. |
For me, choosing a market that was already quite “tapped”, such as copywriting, seemed like the right choice. There’s plenty of room for more writers to thrive here. In the beginning, as I mentioned, I didn’t go at it as purposefully as I would now.
If you’re looking to get on board the digital nomad sort of lifestyle, start brainstorming what it is you have got to work with.
When you’re first starting out in freelancing or working online, its easy to feel pretty lost when it comes to terminology, so please read on for brief definitions:
Copywriting – Typically writing for the purpose of sales or marketing. This could be direct response copywriting (sales letters), scripts for email marketing, content for websites, product descriptions, advertisement copy, and more. I ghost write blogs for several businesses, for example.
SEO Copywriting – Focused on using certain techniques and keywords to optimize your content for Google and other search engines, SEO is in essence, writing copy or content that helps a website rank higher when people search for certain terms. SEO is not overly complicated and you can learn all about it online.
Content writing – Often an interchangeable term with copywriting. When I think of content writing, I picture an assignment of blog posts or articles for a website, that maybe aren’t for a sales purpose. Perhaps more in-depth pieces, personal writing, or general writing.
Proofreading – Reviewing a piece of text or document to check for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and word usage, proofreaders typically don’t alter content.
Editing – Many clients will seek out a combination proofreader/editor for documents. An editor’s primary job, however, is to evaluate the piece for clarity, fluidity, word choice, etc. The editor takes a piece of writing and molds it to make it better. If working with academic papers, it is helpful for editors and proofreaders to be proficient in different reference styles such as MLA or APA.
Freelance Writer – In my mind, a freelance writer perhaps seeks to contribute to magazines and online publications. Somewhat similar to a journalist, their writing pieces are less news-based. A freelance writer will often receive a byline, which means they get credit for their writing! (a major difference from copywriters who are nearly always “behind the scenes”).
Social Media Marketing – Sometimes called social media management, this work entails writing and publishing social media posts for a business, organization, or even an individual. Your aim is to engage with its customers. You should be very familiar with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and other popular platforms. Graphic design and basic photo editing skills are also a plus.
Professional Blogger – These writers cover every imaginable niche. They make their money through ads on their sites, affiliate marketing (making a small commission by promoting others’ products), sponsored posts, partnerships, speaking engagements and the sales of their own personal products such as ebooks, ecourses, or diet plans. An effective way to generate an ongoing portfolio and to build an online presence .
Remember, you don’t have to pursue one field alone, but you can pick from a variety of endeavors!
If you’re considering writing or editing, go ahead and follow my lead and start on a site such as Elance or Upwork. But my caveat is: don’t stay there forever.
Why not?
Platforms like Upwork are ideal for the beginning freelancer. You see what kinds of tasks are available and get to know the way it all works. However, these sites are well known for advertising appallingly low-paying jobs. The diamonds in the rough (jobs that pay a decent rate) are there, but you will have to search for them with gusto.
Once you’ve gotten some work under your belt, you may want to start raising your rates. |
Once you’ve gotten some work under your belt, you may want to start raising your rates. This is difficult with these freelance websites. It is even harder to land a job on there when you’re demanding a higher rate. Those who are willing to pay for the quality of your service are now going to be found elsewhere. It is at this point that you can take your next steps.
Freelancing, copywriting, web design. Whatever you are doing, you have to view it as a business. That’s a big part of turning your part-time, side venture into a full-time (paying) career.
If you’re a business in this day and age, there’s no excuse not to have a website. Your website is a way to showcase your services, experience and work. I prefer publishing via WordPress and hosting with Bluehost. You might have to find some tutorials online if the whole website thing is new to you, but these are fairly straightforward. Through Bluehost or another service you can register your domain name and host your domain. If you’re starting out as a freelancer, why not just grab a domain with your first and last name? Alternately, you can name your business something clever.
As you design your website, keep things simple and straightforward. No one wants a cluttered site. Put time and effort into sprucing up your site and really “sell” yourself. Make clients feel they just have to hire you!
Services like copywriting, social media and web design are something that nearly every business will require at some point. So start right in your own neighborhood. Are you a regular at a local coffee shop? Consider approaching the management and offering to design a new website, write blog posts, or assist with social media. You might get a lot of “no’s” before you get that first “yes.” But with persistence, it will come. If your portfolio is lacking, you may opt to provide a sample for free, or work on a trial basis. Do what you need to do to get your foot in the door.
…do great work. Your quality will speak for iself, and your reputation will grow. |
Once you’re hired, do great work. Your quality will speak for itself, and your reputation will grow. Plus, now that you’ve landed your first gig, you can start beefing up that online portfolio.
To become a successful, money-making freelancer, you need to market yourself and talk yourself up. Don’t forget to utilize other resources: LinkedIn and social media especially. This is an easy way to put your name out there and connect with others, both those who may want to hire you and those you can learn from. Don’t be afraid of networking, both in person and online. The harder you work to get noticed, the more projects and clients you’ll get.
Having a copywriting website, approaching potential clients, and marketing myself via LinkedIn and other groups is how I took the leap and moved from Upwork and Elance to working directly for clients. Taking these steps is how I was able to increase my rates over time and finally make a decent living. And hopefully the rates will continue to climb as I get more and more experienced. I had to put myself out there a great deal. But when you do solid work, clients recommend you to others. So many of my projects have come to me via this approach. Despite the many perks of working online, it’s important to remember that this is still a job.
To help you get started on the road to working online, I’ve compiled a list of what I consider especially useful resources. You are very welcome!
Here’s a list on Freshbooks of 17 great sites to find freelance jobs. Side note: Freshbooks is an excellent online accounting and invoice tool for freelancers.
Some suggestions from writer Linda Formichelli on where to pitch freelance writing ideas.
An incredible free ebook that helps you price your services. Get paid what you’re worth!
A copywriter’s manifesto by Ed Estlow via Steve Roller. Fantastic business tips for the copywriter and tested ways to hone your skills.
The entirety of the Copyblogger website. So much good stuff.
Struggling with productivity? Here’s a nice concise path to overcoming procrastination.
And, if you want to take the plunge and become a professional travel blogger, here’s a swell comprehensive guide.
__
Original article appeared at Two Drifters. Reprinted with permission.
__
Photo credit: Two Drifters
Affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting other people’s (or company’s) products. We provide:
💰 Training & Tutorials.
💰 Ad Templates.
💰 Data Tracking.
All from the comfort of your own home!! Reply to this ad for more details! 📧
We have an extremely fast growing affiliate network and we need someone to manage and continue to grow it!
There is a huge income potential for the right candidate.
We are looking for someone:
=> with at least 3 years affiliate marketing experience
=> that lives in the United States
=> and can work 40 hours per week
The Ideal Candidate Would Have Previous Experience With:
=> Strong Affiliate Marketing Experience
=> Full understanding of Affiliate Links, Sub ID’s, EPCs, etc.
=> Acquiring JV Partners
=> Managing Subscribers (Creating Compelling Email Messages for Affiliates & Customers)
Skills Needed:
=> Excellent Communication Skills.
=> People Skills: Thrives Talking To People
=> Highly Organized and Efficient and Effective
=> Exhibit strong problem-solving, organizational, and interpersonal skills
Duties:
=> Identifying and recruiting new affiliates
=> Creating and maintaining relationships with affiliates
=> Build friendly and trustworthy relationships with affiliates quickly through communication, follow-up and coordination
=> Correspond regularly with affiliates via email and telephone
=> Continually motivating affiliates to perform better
Approving Affiliate accounts:
=> Following approval guidelines
Creating Marketing Tools:
=> Developing “content” for affiliates to use. Including custom requests.
=> Graphics dept will create what you mock up.
Developing and monitoring affiliate promotions
=> Identifying and implementing other opportunities to enhance the affiliate program
Data Analysis:
=> Monitor for fraud
=> Reporting for affiliate marketing promotions and activity
Manage Affiliate newsletters:
=> Keeping affiliates up to date on new products and any program enhancements.
Earn attractive compensation (base salary)
Have a high income potential based on performance.
If this is you, then submit your bid and include:
=> How long you’ve been an affiliate marketer
=> What niches have you promoted?
=> Have you created any products yourself?
=> Any past experience that would help us choose you? (Be Detailed Here)
=> What are your strong suits?
Paid advertising has been a growing trend in digital marketing as new channels continue to open up and online users continue to grow more diverse …
—
The pitch: Quit your job! Ditch the grind! Travel for free!
The truth: There’s probably less than a dozen bloggers who make a full-time income off of their blog alone. The rest of us are freelancing, writing, consulting, designing, you name it.
◊♦◊
What it boils down to is: You can quit your (traditional) job and travel the world, if you so desire. But if that is what you want, you are going to have to work for it.
If you are a brave soul who thinks they may want to try their hand at freelancing but has no idea where to begin. This guide is for you.
I honestly sort of fell into freelancing when I needed money and a way to figure out how to make it. I did a lot of Google searches and stumbled across Elance, Upwork (formerly oDesk), and Guru. They seemed easy to navigate and promised loads of job opportunities for talented individuals. I was excited to get started and signed up for all three.
I immediately found Upwork to be the most straightforward. I built a profile and advertised my services. I knew with my English background I could be well-suited to writing, editing, and proofreading. Having written for Two Drifters for some time, I also included the category of travel writing. I wrote a bio and made myself sound as friendly, capable and least desperate as possible. Upwork asked me to set an hourly rate for myself. $12/hour? I thought. At least it was more than I was making in gift basket hell.
I didn’t just register in the writing and editing categories, however. I applied to jobs in transcription, voice over, and data entry, among the many other options on Upwork. It wasn’t terribly hard to get my first few jobs. My rates were reasonable enough and I took the time to compose a nice cover letter with each application (a key point).
Then I made a series of videos explaining how to use a new smartphone app for preschool teachers… Oy. |
I was awarded a first task as a transcriptionist. Then I made a series of videos explaining how to use a new smartphone app for preschool teachers. That was an interesting experience. Oy.
But I began to get jobs writing about travel and often doing “copywriting” which was a new thing for me. Copywriting is essentially writing for business, marketing, or sales purposes. For me, this has grown to include website content, blogs for businesses, marketing emails, landing pages, and product descriptions, but can include other tasks as well. Over time, I increased my rates little by little and began to look outside of the Upwork platform for work.
The first thing to consider is what you’ll offer customers (and/or the world). For a business to succeed, it generally needs to fill a void.
…choosing a market that was already quite “tapped”, such as copywriting, seemed like the right choice. |
For me, choosing a market that was already quite “tapped”, such as copywriting, seemed like the right choice. There’s plenty of room for more writers to thrive here. In the beginning, as I mentioned, I didn’t go at it as purposefully as I would now.
If you’re looking to get on board the digital nomad sort of lifestyle, start brainstorming what it is you have got to work with.
When you’re first starting out in freelancing or working online, its easy to feel pretty lost when it comes to terminology, so please read on for brief definitions:
Copywriting – Typically writing for the purpose of sales or marketing. This could be direct response copywriting (sales letters), scripts for email marketing, content for websites, product descriptions, advertisement copy, and more. I ghost write blogs for several businesses, for example.
SEO Copywriting – Focused on using certain techniques and keywords to optimize your content for Google and other search engines, SEO is in essence, writing copy or content that helps a website rank higher when people search for certain terms. SEO is not overly complicated and you can learn all about it online.
Content writing – Often an interchangeable term with copywriting. When I think of content writing, I picture an assignment of blog posts or articles for a website, that maybe aren’t for a sales purpose. Perhaps more in-depth pieces, personal writing, or general writing.
Proofreading – Reviewing a piece of text or document to check for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and word usage, proofreaders typically don’t alter content.
Editing – Many clients will seek out a combination proofreader/editor for documents. An editor’s primary job, however, is to evaluate the piece for clarity, fluidity, word choice, etc. The editor takes a piece of writing and molds it to make it better. If working with academic papers, it is helpful for editors and proofreaders to be proficient in different reference styles such as MLA or APA.
Freelance Writer – In my mind, a freelance writer perhaps seeks to contribute to magazines and online publications. Somewhat similar to a journalist, their writing pieces are less news-based. A freelance writer will often receive a byline, which means they get credit for their writing! (a major difference from copywriters who are nearly always “behind the scenes”).
Social Media Marketing – Sometimes called social media management, this work entails writing and publishing social media posts for a business, organization, or even an individual. Your aim is to engage with its customers. You should be very familiar with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and other popular platforms. Graphic design and basic photo editing skills are also a plus.
Professional Blogger – These writers cover every imaginable niche. They make their money through ads on their sites, affiliate marketing (making a small commission by promoting others’ products), sponsored posts, partnerships, speaking engagements and the sales of their own personal products such as ebooks, ecourses, or diet plans. An effective way to generate an ongoing portfolio and to build an online presence .
Remember, you don’t have to pursue one field alone, but you can pick from a variety of endeavors!
If you’re considering writing or editing, go ahead and follow my lead and start on a site such as Elance or Upwork. But my caveat is: don’t stay there forever.
Why not?
Platforms like Upwork are ideal for the beginning freelancer. You see what kinds of tasks are available and get to know the way it all works. However, these sites are well known for advertising appallingly low-paying jobs. The diamonds in the rough (jobs that pay a decent rate) are there, but you will have to search for them with gusto.
Once you’ve gotten some work under your belt, you may want to start raising your rates. |
Once you’ve gotten some work under your belt, you may want to start raising your rates. This is difficult with these freelance websites. It is even harder to land a job on there when you’re demanding a higher rate. Those who are willing to pay for the quality of your service are now going to be found elsewhere. It is at this point that you can take your next steps.
Freelancing, copywriting, web design. Whatever you are doing, you have to view it as a business. That’s a big part of turning your part-time, side venture into a full-time (paying) career.
If you’re a business in this day and age, there’s no excuse not to have a website. Your website is a way to showcase your services, experience and work. I prefer publishing via WordPress and hosting with Bluehost. You might have to find some tutorials online if the whole website thing is new to you, but these are fairly straightforward. Through Bluehost or another service you can register your domain name and host your domain. If you’re starting out as a freelancer, why not just grab a domain with your first and last name? Alternately, you can name your business something clever.
As you design your website, keep things simple and straightforward. No one wants a cluttered site. Put time and effort into sprucing up your site and really “sell” yourself. Make clients feel they just have to hire you!
Services like copywriting, social media and web design are something that nearly every business will require at some point. So start right in your own neighborhood. Are you a regular at a local coffee shop? Consider approaching the management and offering to design a new website, write blog posts, or assist with social media. You might get a lot of “no’s” before you get that first “yes.” But with persistence, it will come. If your portfolio is lacking, you may opt to provide a sample for free, or work on a trial basis. Do what you need to do to get your foot in the door.
…do great work. Your quality will speak for iself, and your reputation will grow. |
Once you’re hired, do great work. Your quality will speak for itself, and your reputation will grow. Plus, now that you’ve landed your first gig, you can start beefing up that online portfolio.
To become a successful, money-making freelancer, you need to market yourself and talk yourself up. Don’t forget to utilize other resources: LinkedIn and social media especially. This is an easy way to put your name out there and connect with others, both those who may want to hire you and those you can learn from. Don’t be afraid of networking, both in person and online. The harder you work to get noticed, the more projects and clients you’ll get.
Having a copywriting website, approaching potential clients, and marketing myself via LinkedIn and other groups is how I took the leap and moved from Upwork and Elance to working directly for clients. Taking these steps is how I was able to increase my rates over time and finally make a decent living. And hopefully the rates will continue to climb as I get more and more experienced. I had to put myself out there a great deal. But when you do solid work, clients recommend you to others. So many of my projects have come to me via this approach. Despite the many perks of working online, it’s important to remember that this is still a job.
To help you get started on the road to working online, I’ve compiled a list of what I consider especially useful resources. You are very welcome!
Here’s a list on Freshbooks of 17 great sites to find freelance jobs. Side note: Freshbooks is an excellent online accounting and invoice tool for freelancers.
Some suggestions from writer Linda Formichelli on where to pitch freelance writing ideas.
An incredible free ebook that helps you price your services. Get paid what you’re worth!
A copywriter’s manifesto by Ed Estlow via Steve Roller. Fantastic business tips for the copywriter and tested ways to hone your skills.
The entirety of the Copyblogger website. So much good stuff.
Struggling with productivity? Here’s a nice concise path to overcoming procrastination.
And, if you want to take the plunge and become a professional travel blogger, here’s a swell comprehensive guide.
__
Original article appeared at Two Drifters. Reprinted with permission.
__
Photo credit: Two Drifters
We’re looking for someone who will be able to help us set up and run an affiliate marketing programme.
Please get in touch if you:
-have experience setting up an affiliate programme (ideally experience of having done it without using a network)
-could offer consultancy on how to set up a programme
-could recruit new affiliates for us
-have knowledge of/have previously worked in the UK education industry
If you also have experience of link building and would be able to build links for us as well that would be a big advantage.
The Rise of the Platform Marketer helps you leverage the “always-on” consumer to deliver more personalized engagements across media, channels, and devices. By managing these interactions at scale throughout the customer lifecycle, you can optimize the value of your customers and segments through strategic use of Connected CRM (cCRM). This book shows you how to take advantage of the massive growth and proliferation of social and other digital media, with clear strategy for developing the new capabilities, tools, metrics, and processes essential in the age of platform marketing. Coverage includes identity management, audience management, consumer privacy and compliance, media and channel optimization, measurement and attribution, experience design, and integrated technology, plus a discussion on how the company as a whole must evolve to keep pace with marketing’s increasingly rapid evolution and capabilities.
The expansion of digital platforms has created addressability opportunity through search, video, display, and social media, offering today’s foremost opportunity for competitive advantage. This book outlines the capabilities and perspective required to reap the rewards, helping you shift your strategy to align with the demands and expectations of the modern consumer.
The new era of marketing requires thorough understanding of cCRM, along with the knowledge and innovative forethought to thrive in the ever-expanding digital audience platform environment. The Rise of the Platform Marketer gives you an edge, and helps you clear a path to full implementation.
Click Here For More Information
