Notes from Minnesota

Hey Writer, Scribe, Influencer!

My office is a mess. If you recall, we built a nice outdoor catio for our two kittys last summer. While my guys were pounding nails, I took a few days to Marie Condo the Filbert Publishing’s World Headquarters. 😛

With temps dropping, the felines don’t get to enjoy the lovely outdoors as much. Hence, they moved inside… into my office! So, my once clutter free work space is now littered with cat tubes, a large cat tree, a dog bed (for the 19 year old Mini-Pin), and (just to class up the joint), a collapsible cat house. Sigh.

My dear husband offered to build a portable wall to obscure the chaotic view when I record podcasts. I declined the offer. Who needs even more stuff to manage?

So, if you check out the Notes from Minnesota Podcast, just ignore all the animal action behind me. Or not. After all, the kitties are pretty awesome…

Talk later!

Beth 🙂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who wants to market smart?

If you need thorough, hard core, no fluff info on making a living writing; resources to help make the journey fun; tips to shortcut some processes; and (of course) a bit of biz gossip… check out this link.

Most of all, this is top-notch, timely information; timeless techniques that support the core activities every writer must utilize to keep the coffers healthy.

What? You haven’t joined us yet? Get the details here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Secret Equation to Successful Freelancing

Once you wrap your mind around the concept that freelancing isn’t necessarily difficult… it’s just dang daily… building your biz becomes exponentially easier.

All you have to do is implement a few questions into your routine.

How many queries do you want to send out every single work day without fail? And yes, I still snail mail a set number of queries daily. Note: I don’t send mail on Sundays or Mondays. Letters mailed on Saturday will hit your recipient’s desk on Tuesday… a very good mail day. But with many freelancers focusing on online prospecting, that leaves a nice void for some of us old school marketers to utilize snail mail. 😛

Online, I’m currently experimenting with a social media calendar. Looks cool. I’ll let you know how that little project goes…

Never forget to tend to your ads. Online ads can rock (or not) depending on how you set ‘em up. I have an entire issue of The Creative Entrepreneur Newsletter dedicated to simplifying how a paid advertising campaign should look… for now.

So, what’s the top secret formula? Here it is:

Consistent marketing = consistent work/sales

Once you get your marketing under control, imagine how you’ll be drenched in work, sales, and inquiries if even a portion of these advertising efforts hit pay dirt. Ah, but we’re not done yet.

Unfortunately, many freelance writers don’t understand the math concerning the process called “prospecting for work.”

I truly believe some freelancers believe that if they foster positive thoughts, craft the perfect query, send it off to the appropriate publication, then boom… the recipient will recognize their genius and hire them.

Doesn’t work that way.

The jaw-dropping reality is this: Direct mailers send millions of letters to prospective buyers each month. In their opinion, if they make the sale three out of one hundred times, the mailing is considered a great success. If you’re a math buff, that would be a

three percent response rate.

Today Victoria, Donna, and Beth share their personal stories on how they began their freelance careers including:

* How Beth began her publishing house and why she runs it in the old-school, traditional way

* How Donna went from a desk job at Prentice Hall to becoming an A-List copywriter

* Why Victoria set aside her successful career as an attorney and decided to build her dream freelance biz

They share the whys, the hows, and the specific skills they needed to keep on top of their game… many years later. They also discuss how they built skill sets, keys for longevity in this biz, and why a “wide” biz maintains stability.

Enjoy!

What do you do when a client expects more but is only willing to pay less? In today’s 3Chix discussion, Donna, Victoria, and Beth discuss:

* Donna’s famous Eight Second Sniff Test to determine what clients she’ll work with

* When you should cut your fee… and why

* An important reason you should avoid “cheap” writers from popular work sites

* “Red Flag” clients versus voluntarily reducing your fees

* How to avoid troublesome clients in an instant

Enjoy today’s lively discussion!

The Chix Website: http://3Chix.com

Today Beth is joined by Janet Scott from Studio 36. They discuss the re-branding and utter transformation of a particular project…

 

 

Websites mentioned:

https://www.facebook.com/JLStudio36/

https://www.facebook.com/JanetScottDesign/

See the new design in action at http://ConsecratedJournal.com

Diversifying your business can be a savvy move… assuming you do it right.

In today’s episode of Notes from Minnesota, the 3Chix discuss how to evaluate potential projects/products, when diversification is a good idea, and some of the benefits of diversification.

If you haven’t diversified your business, listen up. Today’s Notes from Minnesota can help grow (and protect) your biz.

But it’s not! Check out today’s Notes from Minnesota Podcast. Here’s where we detail step one on how to achieve the miracle of instant change… Enjoy!

What would you do if you discovered you could achieve lifelong dreams, become the person you always wanted to be, rediscover joy, reclaim your schedule… act rather than react… all due to a process that takes (sometimes less!) than 30 seconds?

With this podcast (less than ten minutes!), you’ll discover a simple five step practice, one that’s easy to remember, even easier to implement, and equips you with everything you need to transform your life. Enjoy!

Are blogs or vlogs the way to go? Stream of consciousness video ads or something slickly produced? What are the best ways to boost your online presence in 2019? Join... Read more »

Oh my! So many smoke and mirrors on the Internet.

Today Donna, Victoria, and Beth discuss what you should look for when selecting a mentor, agent, or “expert” to follow. Highlights include:

* A two second sniff test to determine the quality of a mentor, agent, or expert

* Who, exactly, are these so called experts?

* Are the outrageous prices worth it?

* The value of a sharp BS meter

* How to check out your potential mentor, agent and/or expert… and where to get the best info.

* Why many expensive courses simply aren’t worth it

* Great alternatives to sketchy online coaching, mentoring, and experts

Tune in to avoid some very real pitfalls when it comes to following any new guru. Enjoy!

Hey Freelancer!

Welcome to a Writing Etc. Mini. I promised occasional fast, useful, info packed additions to your regular Writing Etc. subscription so I’ll keep ‘er short today.

It’s February! How are your writing plans progressing? If you still want to make ‘19 even better than last year, here are three steps to get you started:

1. Add one new skill to your writing arsenal. Write a book. Study copywriting. Master article writing. Focus on one of these and you’ve got a great start.

2. Explore a new niche. Peek in on Facebook conversations and find out what people are buzzing about. Then, research that topic. If it’s something near your skill set, you may find the topic of your next project.

3. Check out unusual places to sell your writing. If you’ve written a book, ferret out businesses that would benefit from your expertise. It’s pretty fun to sell a few hundred copies of your latest opus direct (higher profit margins anyone?) to a corporation. Don’t forget reading groups, civic leaders, and nonprofits when you’re formulating a marketing plan.

4. Bundle groups of articles into a book. You can do the same with blog posts. At this point, you have so many options! Sell it for a boost in income. Give it away to grow your customer list. Information is power. Weld yours wisely…

5. Don’t be afraid to invest a little in your online education! You don’t have to dole out big bucks to gain valuable insight into best practices, what’s working now, marketing tips, and more.

Give these five tips a whirl! Freelancing is the best job in the world… but sometimes the

challenges can be perplexing. The trick is to chuck the hype and stay locked on a solid course of action.

That’s it for now. In the meantime, if you enjoyed these tips and want more details on how to implement any of these strategies, buy me a mocha! Details are here. 🙂

Enjoy!

Beth 🙂

P.S. You can also check out Filbert Publishing’s bestsellers!

1. The Mocha Club (Where savvy Creative Entrepreneurs hang out.)

2. Stuck: Transforming Everything You Think You Know About Creative Blocks

3. Bob Bly’s Guide to Freelance Writing Success

4. Pocket Power: Become the Person You Were Born to Be

5. Jumpstart Your Writing Career and Snag Paying Assignments

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can use any of these articles free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be sure to include this byline:

This article is courtesy of Filbert Publishing. Make your writing sparkle, freelance smart, repeat. Subscribe to Writing Etc., the free e-mag for freelancers and receive the e-book “Power Queries.” https://filbertpublishing.com

Enjoy!