It's a brand new year, which means the holiday decorations have been put away, the champagne is long gone, and the race is on for freelancers to generate new business. Many of these ideas are specific to freelance writers, but some of them will work for other types of freelancers, too.
Hopefully you'll find something in the list below that you can add to your own arsenal of marketing and business development strategies. And if you have other ideas, please be sure include them in the comments.
- Pitch additional services to a current client. Maybe they could use a blog, someone to tweet on their behalf, or a monthly enewsletter to stay in touch with customers.
- Reconnect with a client or editor you’ve worked with in a past. You might even send them a slightly belated New Year’s greeting.
- Attend a networking event. But show more interest in learning about the other person than pitching your services. Otherwise you might scare them off. Networking is more of a long-term strategy than a short-term one, but it works.
- Post an ad in the services section of Craig’s List. Use keywords and experiment in different geographic areas, since you’ll be working remotely. Then screen responses like crazy so you don’t end up working for pennies!
- Follow up on query letters or letters of introduction from last year. If you have new clips that might be relevant, be sure to include links.
- Revamp an old query letter for a new (or new-to-you) publication. This post offers more ideas on that front.
- Pair up with a web designer or photographer and pitch your services as a designer/copywriter or photog/journalist duo.
- Check out this list of trends to watch in 2010 and create a few new queries around one (or more) of those trends.
- Look at job postings for full time editors or copywriters and send an email of introduction. If it’s a new venture, this can be a can great way to get in as a freelancer on the ground floor. Just make sure it’s well-funded!
- Create your own project, such as a book proposal, an online class, a new blog, an ebook, or a podcast. The great part about these types of projects is that you have total control. The downside is that without deadlines, it can be tough to keep momentum going.
Your turn! What are you doing to drum up new business? Any tips that you would add?
Flickr photo courtesy of thinkpanama