so you want to hire a freelance writer...

Have you ever considered hiring someone to help write content for your marketing or informational materials? Maybe you need fresh copy or a new angle for your website or blog—or maybe you simply don’t have enough time to get it all done yourself. You decide to call in a freelance writer, tell her what you need, and ask for an estimate. She gives you one, and suddenly you feel a little short of breath.

But I don’t even want that much text on my landing page, you think. How can it possibly cost that much?

So you call in a second freelancer, tell him what you want, and ask for an estimate. He gives you one, and now you’re confused.

This actually seems really low, you muse. Does this guy know what he’s doing? Why does he work for so little money?

Welcome to working with freelancers! There is no standard fee, which can be confusing for someone new to this situation. Prices may be all over the map, depending on where you live, the type of project, and how much experience the freelancer has.

You know how much money you have to work with, so of course you need to select someone who fits your budget. But if you find a freelancer you believe is a good fit for the company and the project at hand—and if you feel the price is too high—consider what goes into the content creation process before dismissing him entirely.

Few writers attend a meeting and spout out copy that’s perfect. There’s much more to it than that! Let’s take a quick look at the steps a writer takes to craft copy that gets results:

Researching
Before a professional writer meets with you, she most likely has already done some research. She’ll visit your website and learn about your company and its services or products. She’ll get a feel for how the content is currently presented and ask if you’re happy with the style, flow, and tone.

After she gets the gig, she’ll research your competitors. She’ll see what they’re talking about and how they’re saying it. She’ll learn more about the topic she’s going to be writing about by asking questions and reading existing literature. She’ll make sure she’s got the names of products and employees accurate and she’ll interview your employees, and maybe even a few satisfied customers.

Note the actual writing process hasn’t even begun yet!

Drafting
Now’s the time to start crafting words. She’s got to get her thoughts organized by creating an outline of sorts to follow. And she’s got to look over notes and quotes to make sure she’s telling the story accurately, then turn bits and pieces of this puzzle into something readable. Drafting is actually probably the easiest part of this job! But wait, there's more....

Follow-up
Hmm…the information she needs to obtain from Department Manager XX didn’t come through. He was supposed to return her email yesterday but she hasn’t heard from him, so she has to send a follow-up email or make a phone call. This goes on for a few days until finally they manage to connect. She takes notes on their conversation and adds the new information to the draft.

Editing
Now it’s time to clean up that draft so that there are no typos or misspellings. Everything needs to flow smoothly and make sense to the target audience. Only after editing her work thoroughly should she send it your way for review.

Revising

Few writers hit the nail on the head with their first draft—we expect to make revisions after our clients look everything over and give input. So we review your comments, ask additional questions, and re-word, re-phrase, or add or delete a section here or there. Then we edit again and send it back to you for final approval.

That’s pretty much the process, and it may be repeated once more to get a final draft that everyone is happy with. So as you can see, writing quality content is much more than just writing.

For those of you who have worked with freelancers before (and it doesn’t have to be a freelance writer—designers and photographers are also hired by companies on a regular basis), what did you like about having someone separate from your company or organization handle outsourcing? What didn’t you like? What do you want freelancers to know about working with you?

 image from stockvault.net

do what you say you'll do

My mom’s birthday is on Saturday, and as I think about where to find the gift I’d like to give her, I’m reminded of last year’s unfortunate shopping experience—and I’m hoping to avoid similar frustration this time around.

Last year I wanted to give my mom, a voracious reader, a book I thought she would enjoy. The local Barnes and Noble didn’t have it in stock (and as a last-minute shopper I didn’t have time to wait for shipping), so I hopped online to check out the list of in-stock books at a certain large-scale, well-known retailer.

Booyah! I thought as I saw the title I was looking for. The website said the book was at the store’s closest location, so I headed over to the store. I trekked to the (tiny) book isle and searched and searched, but I couldn’t find it. So I flagged down an employee and asked if he could help me.

“Ummm,” he said after glancing at the shelves. “Well. I don’t think we have that book.”

“But your website said it was in stock at this location,” I said, not too happily (yet still politely).

“Yeah. Um. Well, our website is managed by a third-party. They don’t really know what we have in stock at this store.”

Really? Really? So they’re paying some company to maintain their website, which supposedly lists available products, except those products may not really be available like the website says. Like it, in effect, promises.

This makes no sense.

I left pretty upset—and for the record, this wasn’t the first time I had become aggravated with this particular store.

Since this is a humungous, super duper retailer, no matter what the website says they’re going to stay in business. All because they have locations in just about every town, and because a majority of people shop there because of low prices. So as much as the situation stinks, this company can—and clearly does—get away with being dishonest.

What if a small, local business tried this sort of thing? It would lose customers quickly. And those unhappy customers would tell their friends and even more business might be lost. The company would most likely fold if it messed up repeatedly.

But not all is lost. I took with me a business lesson, which is handy as a business owner: do what you say you’ll do. Follow up if you say you will, keep items in stock if you say you have them, honor guarantees if you offer them, etc. It’s simple, really. Providing good, honest, quality customer service is key to running a successful business. Especially if it’s a small-scale business. 

On a related note, I read another blog today that shared a story about customer service—but this story painted a much rosier picture. For a more uplifting story about providing quality service, check out Snootyvixen’s It Ain’t What You Do, It’s The Way That You Do It.

don't make these mistakes...

I receive a local publication that's typically packed with good, solid information for business owners. While some of the articles focus on issues specific to the community, many others are useful for any business-type person, regardless of their location.

The October issue of Interbusiness Issues featured an article, The Top 3 Business Writing Mistakes You're Probably Making Right Now, which I think is a very insightful read. If you handle writing duties for your business in any capacity, check out this piece. It's a short read but it's oh-so-practical.

Happy writing!

time out: why it's ok to take a break

As I mentioned in my previous post, I took off Friday afternoon to enjoy a walk in the woods (not quite as exciting as Bill Bryson's, but a lot more relaxing--no bears!) at a local State Park. Packed the kids, myself, and my husband in the car and enjoyed a perfect fall day: turning leaves, cool temps, sunny skies, migrating pelicans (really!), and lots of wildlife. Oh, and ice cream. (That was our reward for finishing the trail.)

Did I have work I could have done that afternoon? Yup. Should I have stayed home and been "responsible" instead? Nope. 'Cuz I know you've heard this before: sometimes you just gotta take care of you.

But I wasn't only taking care of me--it was an opportunity for our family to spend some quality time together, too. We listened to music on the mp3 player on the drive and take turns calling out requests (my 3-year-old is getting hip to 80s tunes), collected leaves and nuts with plans to make a fall wreath, got some great exercise, and breathed fresh, clean air for a few hours.

After this relaxing kind of afternoon, I'm ready to take on the challenges of a new week. There's a new project to start, one or two waiting in the wings, and of course the continuation of blogging every day for the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Do you make time for a break every now and then? I know it can be difficult, especially when you've got a lot going on: new clients, old clients, deadlines, meetings, presentations...sometimes it seems like the to-do list never ends. But it really does pay to take a moment or a day, or even half a day--whatever you can manage--to do something completely unrelated to your work.

When was the last time you really took a break? Where did you go? What did you do? How did you feel afterwards?

7 ways to show your customers you appreciate them

My girls recently added some new fish to their fish tank. Over time we’ve lost these little guys one by one, and we were down to a single, lonely tetra. He was doing ok, but we knew he’d be happier with a couple of buddies.

It’s really not too interesting to watch a solitary fish dart around the tank—but it’s very cool to see them swim together as a unit. So as much as I wanted to add to the population earlier in the game, I reminded myself that these were my girls’ fish. And since they really wanted to enhance the tank, too, I thought about how we could turn the situation into a learning opportunity.

A positive reinforcement tactic came to mind. The girls had been having trouble settling down at bedtime (they share a room), so we created a sticker chart. For every night I didn’t have to come in and tell them to be quiet, stop bouncing on their beds, or what-have-you, they earned a sticker. When they filled up a week’s worth of stickers, they would get a few new fish.

The chart worked like a charm. Within a week they earned their fish, and the lone tetra now has friends. Everyone wins!

This situation made me think a bit on a professional level, too. I showed my daughters that I appreciated their efforts by rewarding their behavior, but had I been showing my clients how much I appreciated them as well?

Without clients or customers, we wouldn’t have any work; we couldn’t sell our products or services. So it only makes sense to let them know that they are key in our business, and that we appreciate their choice to work with us.

How can we thank the folks who bring their business to us? There are lots of ways! Here are a few ideas:

1. Give them kudos on your (and their) social media pages.

2. Send a thank you note after finishing a project.  

Be sure to hand-write it—handwritten notes are rare these days, so stand out by doing something different.

3. Take notes on their personal interests.  

What sports teams to they follow? How old are their kids? When is their birthday?

4. Send holiday cards. 

Consider acknowledging odd holidays, too, like: Happy Columbus Day! I’m glad we discovered each other!

5. If you have an office, provide coffee or tea in the waiting area. 

 If not, consider sending a package of chocolates, popcorn, or other treats to enjoy to their home or office.

6. Share resources. 

 If you come a cross an article or other information online or in a print publication that you think would benefit/interest your client, send it their way. This lets them know you are thinking about them even if you aren’t doing business with them at that moment.

7. Continue offering quality, personal service.

There are many other ways to honor the folks who give you their business. Go ahead and get creative! Have fun with the process! They’ll certainly remember you for your efforts.

How do you show your clients that you appreciate them?

UBC favorites list (week 1)

I admit it: I goofed. I was planning to use Sundays to list a few of my favorite reads the past week by participants in the Ultimate BlogChallenge. To make things simple, I thought I was bookmarking blogs along the way, and that I’d review them later and pare down the list by the weekend—but apparently I didn’t do this. My bookmarks remain the same as they were a week ago.

Oops.

So…today I’m going to go back through the past couple of days and re-select some titles/subject matter that catch my interest. I know this won’t represent the entire pool of posts everyone has worked hard to publish, and I’m sorry about that.

I’ll do better next week!

Today’s picks are articles I think will most interest those trying to run a business or head an organization. Topics are content creation, social media, productivity, and reading.

22 Ideas to Create Compelling Content

Ideal infographic for writers of all types, from professional writers to anyone maintaining a blog!

How To Engage on Facebook—Leave No Fan Behind

Great post for anyone looking to build their social media community!

Bart Nash’s 9 Tips on How to Get Your Blog Noticed Fast and Easy

Make sure everyone knows about your blog!

Multi-Tasking Makes You Stupid

The post title got me to read it, and the useful information kept me reading!

Become a Better Reader: Identifying With a Character

This is targeted toward helping kids read better, but since just about everyone reads, I think everyone will find the content interesting. Plus, I’m a huge advocate of reading so I had to feature this!

Oh, and a side note: I feel this list would be fairer if I could actually read ALL the posts that have been shared on the UBC each week—but unfortunately, my reading time is limited. As much as I’d love to read everyone’s content, there’s often a three-year-old calling for me, or I have to run my older daughter to gymnastics or girl scouts, or I’m on deadline for a paying project.

Keep up the great work, everyone!

want to a peek at a freelancers brain?

Have you ever wondered why freelancers choose to work for themselves rather than be employed by another company? I mean, the feast or famine cycle isn’t fun. We have to buy our own health insurance (E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E.). And if we don’t motivate ourselves to find work, we don’t make any money. So what’s the appeal?

Well, flexibility is key for one thing. For instance, this Wednesday is my husband’s birthday. He doesn’t go into work until the afternoon and I don’t have any immediate deadlines, so we’re going to hang out in the morning for a bit. Maybe get some coffee and doughnuts and take a walk if it’s nice out. Could I do that if I had to report to work at 8 a.m. sharp? Not unless I wanted to call in sick to make it happen. I see a trip to Dunkin Donuts in my future—and time with my husband—and that makes me happy.

Of course there are lots of pros and cons when it comes to freelancing. Want to know what they are? Check out this amazing infographic from dailyinfographic.com—it highlights what goes through a freelancers mind, plus it includes data to show what types of people are freelancing and what keeps us up at night. This chart is a great source of information for everyone: folks contemplating freelancing, freelancers who want to compare their situation to those on the chart, or those businesses that use freelancers (maybe it will help us understand each other a bit better). 

Here's the link!

why blog?

So...today is it: October 1st. A brilliant, fresh new month perfect for setting new goals.

What sort of goals have you set for the month?

In my last post I mentioned that I'm taking on the Ultimate Blog Challenge. This is where participants post 31 times in 31 days...preferably once each day, but it's been noted that if we fall behind it's ok to toss a couple of posts out on a "late" day to catch up. (Whew!)


Anyway, I figure this is a great way to invigorate this blog, and I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

How about you? Are you up for a challenge, too? You can blog about anything you want: family, work, gardening, social media, golf, furbabies, politics...the topics are endless! Why not join in the fun?

If you're already a blogger, that's awesome! But if you haven't yet tested the blogging waters, now's a great time to start. First, however, ask yourself why you want to have a blog. That's sort of an important question, especially if you are writing for a business.

Are you looking to get noticed?

Want to extend your web presence beyond your website?

Do you have valuable information to share?

Want to boost your credibility? (Via that valuable info mentioned above.)

These are all great reasons to jump on board the blogging train. But before you start spewing information, keep a few things in mind:

1. Don't just type your post and hit publish.
After writing, leave your post for at least a day in a draft folder, then come back and re-read. You may decide your point wasn't as clear as you thought, or you may discover typos. You want your message (and your grammar!) to be as perfect as possible if you want your readers to take you seriously.
 
2. Provide great content.
Always make sure the information you are providing is useful for your target audience. (I.e., the readers you hope to attract--and keep!) There are so many ways to keep your content fresh--and don't feel like you have to stick to the same format all the time, either. Consider posting interviews, case studies, how-to lists, instructional information, etc. As long as you offer valuable information, you are providing a service to your readers. They'll appreciate that.

3. Create clever titles.
Maybe I should have said "don't forget to title your posts." (Because sometimes I get so excited to have worked a post up to meet my publishable criteria that I hit "publish" and forget to add a title. Am I the only one who does this?!) But really, a stellar title will help your post get noticed. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Whether you're on board with the Ultimate Blog Challenge or not, best of luck to you as you begin--or continue--your blogging efforts!

5 blogs to read today

As some of you may know (but most probably don't), I'm also a musician. I play saxophone, and used to perform quite often in my pre-kid, pre-recession life. I've gigged with a number of bands, including shows with iconic groups The Temptations and Little Anthony and the Imperials, as well as a host of local groups and my own jazz quartet.

One important lesson I learned during my days of intense practicing was that in order to play well, you have to listen to music--a LOT of music. Listen to your favorite artists. Listen to the greats. Listen to everything you can get your hands on. You'll learn so much, like how to phrase and ways to incorporate inflection and emulate tone. And, of course, listening is a very inspiring way to get excited about playing.

I've found that writing is no different. In order to write well, you have to read--a LOT. If you write fiction, read your favorite authors. If you write poetry, absorb as many stanzas as you can. And if you write for your business, read trade journals, newsletters, and blogs. Look at information published by friends and competitors in your area. Note what you like and what you don't about what they say and how they say it.

Reading helps you get a feel for tone (formal, conversational) and flow (sentence length). You may learn a new word or two along the way. And, just like when you read books, you'll soon find a writer whose work you probably enjoy reading.

When you find an inspirational write who provides information you can use, and when the writer happens to be the author of a blog, it's easy to follow him or her regularly and get your (daily, weekly) fix.

I have a lot of blogs on my own RSS feed, but here are 5 of my favorites I'd like to share with you. I check in with these folks almost daily, and thanks to their thoughtful content I obtain a lot of business and writing information and ideas. I'm sure you will, too.

1. Copyblogger

2. ProBlogger

3. Michelle Shaeffer

4. Momeo

5. Write Direction

What blogs do you follow? How have they helped your business?

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

girl scouts together

"More than two thirds of the female members of  Congress and an incredible 80% of women business owners were Girl Scouts."

- Geri Stengel, "Why Girl Scouts Become Entrepreneurs"

I came across this article today, and it really resonated with me. And because there are many of us whose lives have been touched by a Girl Scout in some way--personal experience as a scout, a mother who led a troop, or a sincere appreciation for those yearly cookie sales--I thought I'd share it here.

I was a Girl Scout for roughly 8 years. I started in Brownies (Daisy levels had not yet been introduced. Yes, I know I'm dating myself!) and made it as far as the Cadette ranking. After finishing my first year in high school, however, I became too busy with other activities to continue. If I remember correctly, I wasn't the only one--the troop disbanded about the same time.

Looking back, I wish I had stuck with it. My troop had some really good times. We enjoyed crafting, camping, helping others, and serving our community. And we learned about respect, selflessness, and friendships.

A couple of memorable moments include sneaking out of latrine duty at camp and tipping over my buddy burner--a cooking contraption utilizing a metal coffee--and dumping scalding grease on my arm. I also remember laughing with some of my best friends and feeling as if I belonged somewhere...a great feat for a pre-teen and teenager.

Do I believe my experiences as a Girl Scout contributed to my tendency toward entrepreneurship as the article claims? Now that I stop to think about it, I suppose they probably do. And since I just read the article, and I'm sure I'll give this even more consideration. Points #2 and #5 for sure. Probably the others, too.

I now have a 6-year-old who is a Daisy. While it's too soon to determine whether she'll take an entrepreneurial path (right now it looks as if school teacher, ballet dancer, and librarian are the forerunners), I do hope that she has the opportunity to learn the same type of life skills in Scouts that I did.
  
But enough of my drivel. Here's the article:

Why Girl Scouts Become Entrepreneurs