How to Use Blogging to Fuel Your Freelance Writing Business

How to Use Bloggingto Fuel Your FreelanceWriting BusinessWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

2 Why Blogging? As a freelance writer, this is probably the least of all methods you want to hear about? Why keep on pouring free content into your blog when you can easily charge for it? Well, don’t be surprised because you’re not alone! Blogging is Underestimated! When it comes to getting clients, blogging is literally nonexistent in the marketing dictionary of most freelance professionals. Or at least, according to the 2011 Freelance Industry Report.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

3 Blogging is Underestimated! More than 1,200 freelancers were surveyed, and marketing techniques ranged from Word of Mouth (at 23%) to Advertising (at 0.8%), but blogging was nowhere to be found.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

4 Blogging Really Works! BLOGGING really works! *In fact, it has been proven to be more effective than traditional advertising!*According to data from Hubspot (Feb. 12, 2012), it has been observed that blogging is more effective thanSuperbowl adsWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

5 Blogging Really Works! This was proven when a company recently invested In Superbowl ads; ads were purchased in excess of $54k, and were seen by 2.8 million viewers. That exposure only led to an increase in traffic of 11% the day it aired, and no leads at all. Read that again; NO LEADS! This is with a company that has grown by 583% in less than a year, thanks to blogging and other inbound marketing tactics.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

6 Why Blogging Works I’ll soon be going into ways to use blogging to grow your freelance writing business, but I think it’s important to know why it works first. Here are a few reasons why blogging works TARGETED PRACTICAL FLEXIBLE SEO-FRIENDLY Unlike the Superbowl, or How do clients know It could be that Search engines crave that popular TV you’re to be trusted comprehensive case your blog like a baby program, not everybody from a one-line ad? study, or the short craves its mother’s milk. reads your blog. opinion post. By seeing you in action You write, it is indexed But the few that do are on your blog, they’ll be No matter what you and ranked. those who really want able to see, feel, and have in mind, a blog can what you have to offer. smell what you’re made accommodate it. Of course, you won’t get of. a million visitors from It’s better to have 100 the search engines, but targeted readers than a Deciding to hire you drops of water makes million irrelevant ones. becomes as easy as it an ocean full. can be!WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

7 Some Noteworthy Examples As proof that blogging works, I’ll be sharing some real life examples from freelance writers benefiting from the power of blogging. “It all happened because I blogged” Those were the words of veteran freelance writer, Michelle Rafter, whose work has appeared on Inc.com, Reuters, CBSMoneyWatch and a lot of other major publications According to Michelle, publishing her 500th post was the turning point. In her own words: “Sometime in June 2010, I pushed the “Publish” button on the 500th post on my blog. “Those 500 blog posts changed my life – by helping me reinvent my career. In two and a half years, I went from stay at home mom to full-time journalist and blogger making a lot more money than I ever did as a staff writer at a major daily newspaper.”WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

8 Some Noteworthy Examples Writing made her more “marketable” Also on how blogging helped her land freelance writing gigs, here’s what Michelle Rafter has to say: “By teaching myself to blog, I made myself more marketable by showing perspective clients that in addition to writing news, features and columns, I was proficient in another writing form, no small matter as more publications add contributor-written blogs. “By using the blog to showcase my resume, bio and clips, I landed one of the biggest freelance gig of my career, a contract to edit a corporate finance website for American Express that launched in spring 2010. I later learned that prior to contacting me, the website’s project managers vetted me by reviewing my work experience on my blog and in my LinkedIn profile.” Michelle is one of the very few freelance writers making a big impact thanks to blogging, and you can check out her blog at MichelleRafter.com to learn how she does it!WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

9 Some Noteworthy Examples Mid 5-Figures in 2011 The next example is my own, Bamidele Onibalusi, personal example . In 2011 alone I was able to make mid 5-figures in overall freelance writing income thanks to blogging. To be more specific, that is a little over $50,000. Just a year after starting as a freelance writer, and with my only source of clients being my blog. I didn’t send a single pitch, I made no cold calls, and I worked at my own terms. That’s just how powerful blogging is!WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

10 The RealityThe reality is that less than 10% of theentire freelance writing populationmakes 90% of the income.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

11 The Reality Being a Great Writer Isn’t Enough In fact, getting clients isn’t enough; you have to know how to get clients to come to you. The difference between a successful freelance writer and a struggling one is that the successful freelance writer gets client requests even when he sleeps, thanks to the work he already has in place, while a struggling one hardly gets by bidding for the same job as dozens of others on freelancing portals. The difference is control; and blogging brings that control.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

12Grow Your Freelance Income by Blogging Here are 4 main ways I use blogging to generate clients for my freelance writing business, that you can also start using today! Creating the Perfect Hire Me Page 1 I’ll be sharing a few tips on how to create the perfect hire me page, that not only sends the right clients your way, but actually scares the peanut spenders. Maximize your blog’s search engine exposure 2 According to Nielson Net Ratings, around 90% of overall web traffic is from search engines. Learn how to use this to your advantage! How to Use Case Studies to Drive More Clients 3 Case studies never fail to deliver, and I’ll explain how to leverage them to grow your client database. Another kind of post that always works 4 Aside from case studies, I’ll be sharing another kind of post can you write on your blog that will bring in clients years after you wrote it.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

13 Creating the Perfect Hire Me Page Have a Simple “Disclaimer” The simple tip that can help you get more High quality clients is to have a disclaimer. I actually experimented with this and the result was phenomenal. The hire me page I just put up was resulting in around 20 clients requests every month, but I wasn’t able to work with any of them. MOST were crappy offers! I decided to take action by putting a little disclaimer below my hire me page, and the results has since then been stunning.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

14 My Hire Me Page in Action How My Hire Me Page is Converting Since Making this Change Ever since putting up the disclaimer on my hire me page, conversions reduced to around 1%, but I’ve ended up working with almost every client that contacted me since then. In fact, the majority of my clients pay half of my fees before I start, and I even got a client pay in whole before I started; and these aren’t just any clients, they are clients paying more than the market rate for my work. That’s pretty impressive for someone contacting me for the first time, and it goes to prove the power of simple changes. Here’s the disclaimer exactly as it is on my hire me page: “I’m pretty selective about who I work with, so only contact me if you want results from your business. If you’re on a very low budget, or are looking for ways to manage your budget, I’m probably not the best fit for you.” You can see my hire me page in action at http://www.youngprepro.com/servicesWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

15 Search Engines According to Nielson Net Ratings, around 90% of overall internet traffic is generated by search engines.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

16Maximize Your Blog’s Search Engine Exposure In other words, the best way to be found online is by positioning your blog to be better ranked in the search engines. Also, on a personal level, traffic from search engines contribute to around 60% of my freelance writing income, and that’s several tens of thousands of dollars yearly. In a nutshell; if you really want to take your freelance writing to the next level, don’t underestimate the power of optimizing your blog for the search engines. WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

17 SEO Tips for Freelance Writers Here are a few ways to supercharge your SEO; these tips work irrespective of how big or small your blog is. 01. Be Specific 02. Headlines... Be specific. ...are important. You’ll be ranked higher if your blog Let your headline contain your focuses on just one topic, than if main keyword, and make it as you try to write on all. appealing as possible. 03. Use Multimedia 04. Guest Blog... You’re a writer, but a picture ...for authority blogs in relevant speaks a thousand words. niches. Occasionally use *pictures and You won’t only get traffic, but videos to convey your message. also links that help your rankings *Tag pictures you use on your blog with keywords you plan to rank for; aside from this increasing your chances of ranking higher, you’ll also get traffic from image search engines.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

18 Use Case Studies Case studies can be very effective in getting clients. Good case studies are not only shared and linked to, but actually demonstrate your expertise to potential clients; increasing your chances of getting hired on the spot.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

19 Use Case Studies What a powerful case study is made up of: Problem What common problem were you or a client facing? Approach/Solution How did you approach solving this problem, and how is your approach unique from that of others? Results What are your results? And why should people pay attention to themWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

20 Use Case Studies Once your case study has been published, make sure you include a small note below it telling potential clients that you are available to help them transform their business in the same way. Also, make sure you leave subtle hints in the case study article telling people to hire you.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

21 Another Kind of Blog Post that Works Here’s another kind of article that works for getting clients The “Ultimate Guide” The idea is to write the ultimate guide on a subject you’re qualified to teach, and that you want clients to hire you on. I’m not talking about 900 words articles, but extensive 3,000 – 4,000 words articles with videos, graphs, and examples on a subject.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

22 Another Kind of Blog Post that Works Writing the ultimate guide on a subject you’re qualified to talk about will get you links, traffic, and social media shares. These will lead to better search engine rankings, and eventually more traffic. Clients will then come as a result of these.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

23 Another Kind of Blog Post that Works EXAMPLES To get a better idea of what an “ultimate guide” entails, here are links to two powerful representations of a good “ultimate guide”. http://www.youngprepro.com/guest-blogging-guide/ http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/the-backlinking- strategy-that-works/WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

24 Getting Results Here are a few ways to get results from your “ultimate guide” Link liberally: To top bloggers, and notify them to spread the word when 1 your post is live. Mention your services: Hint it a few times in the post without diluting it’s 2 value, and dedicate a paragraph to it below the post. Build links: Go out there, get some quality backlinks, and wait to reap the 3 reward in time. Don’t stop: Test your content, make a few changes and observe how traffic 4 grows, and how many more clients contact you. Keep making changes till you’re satisfied with your results.WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

SUMMARYWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

26 Presentation Summary 5 Reasons to Start Blogging to Grow Your Freelancing Business 1. It has been proven to be effective 2. It is highly targeted, and as a result increases your chances of getting hired 3. It is practical, and shows clients exactly what you’re capable of 4. It is flexible; you have as much space to determine your content and emphasize your message 5. It is search-engine friendlyWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

27 Presentation Summary 4 Ways to Use Blogging to Grow Your Freelance Writing Business 1. Fine tune your “hire me” page Introduce a disclaimer stating you only want high-quality, high-budget clients Stop trying to get every client; only focus on getting the few that matter 2. Focus on Increasing Search Engine Exposure Be specific Use multimedia Write compelling, keyword-rich headlines Write guest posts to build overall blog authority, and quality linksWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

28 Presentation Summary 4 Ways to Use Blogging to Grow Your Freelance Writing Business 3. Create great case studies and pitch your service Highlight a common problem in the industry you’re targeting (yours or your client’s) Explain your approach towards solving that problem Show the results you got Pitch your services and encourage people to hire you for similar results 4. Write “Ultimate Guides” that get shared and linked to Link liberally to top bloggers and ask them to spread the word Promote your services; subtly in the article, and directly below the article Build backlinks to your “ultimate guide” via guest blogging and other meansWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

29 Take A Step Further A Slide Can Only Take so Much There’s only so much this slide can take, and as a result I’ve prepared a special report for you explaining my process towards using my blog to fuel my freelance writing business. In a short report titled “How to Build a Solid Freelance Writing Business with Just a Blog”, I’ll be going into more details on how to leverage your blog to grow your freelance writing business. You will also get access to my special newsletter for freelance writers. DOWNLOAD NOW AT: HTTP://WWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM/BLOGGING-FREELANCEWWW.YOUNGPREPRO.COM | How to Write for Traffic and Money

http://www.youngprepro.com	4243
http://zacjohnson.com	3156
http://www.dailyblogtips.com	1168
http://www.bloggingtips.com	388
http://feeds2.feedburner.com	381
http://www.rhondagrice.com	300
http://www.slagtermedia.nl	197
http://www.writersincharge.com	193
http://www.abloggersbooks.com	189
http://www.500amonth.com	185
http://www.conseilsmarketing.com	167
http://feeds.feedburner.com	70
http://www.mytweetmag.com	37
http://writingblogs.collected.info	25
http://cafune27.blogspot.com	18
http://webtech2.hostoi.com	14
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	13
http://bloggeron1.collected.info	12
http://www.aweber.com	11
http://www.linkedin.com	10
http://blogbrainz.collected.info	6
http://affaholic.com	5
http://surveys4money.jdanswers.com	4
http://jimamann.com	4
http://blogs.leeward.hawaii.edu	4
http://www.empowernetwork.com	3
http://www.twylah.com	3
http://seo-tips-how-to-make-money-online.blogspot.com	3
http://127.0.0.1	3
http://cafune27.blogspot.in	2
http://cafune27.blogspot.fr	2
http://debtconsolidationfreshreviews1.blogspot.fr	2
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com	2
http://www.newsblur.com	2
http://basistik.blogspot.com	2
http://blogblogs.collected.info	2
http://www.seowerkt.com	2
http://wirausahamudabersama.blogspot.com	2
http://www.dailynetblog.com	2
http://application-ponsel-computers.blogspot.com	2
http://us-w1.rockmelt.com	2
http://rss.jardelscorner.com	2
http://themes-software-computers.blogspot.com	1
http://1.gravatar.com	1
http://webmail.wcc.net	1
http://www.ranksit.com	1
http://www.liamalexander.com	1
http://cafune27.blogspot.nl	1
http://cafune27.blogspot.ca	1
http://atraccion1982-getmoney.blogspot.com	1
http://make-virtual-money.blogspot.com	1

How to Use Blogging to Fuel Your Freelance Writing Business

by Bamidele Onibalusi on Jun 27, 2012

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

67 Embeds 10,863

Statistics